Furloughs for Public Employees Are a Bad Option for State and Local Governments!
It seems that every government entity is determined to solve its budget crisis on the backs of public employees. The idea of furloughing public employees during bad economic times is a bad one not only for the workers but for the public. Here's why:
- Public employees who continue to get full paychecks will continue to spend money to keep our economy running. While many private employers have skipped the country and run overseas to hire cheaper labor leaving many in the US out of work, it is public employees who can help keep things moving.
- Public employees generally make less money that their private counterparts, but in return for accepting less, they usually get good benefits and paid time off. By changing that dynamic and taking pay AWAY from public employees at this time, the government may force some employees to NEED public assistance. For example, not being able to afford family health care coverage, they will now have to rely on charity care, making them non-contributors to the economy but consumers of public benefits, causing MORE stress on the economy, through no fault of their own.
Furloughs are a bad idea for everyone. We urge all the governments our members work for to reconsider options other than furloughs to balance the budget.