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Perdue wants to restore pay cut to state workers

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Comments (13)

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

(Updated 3:11 pm)

By
Associated Press

RALEIGH (AP) — Gov. Beverly Perdue wants to repay state workers for taking away part of their salaries last year to close a budget shortfall.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported today that Perdue wants to return the 0.5 percent pay cut she required of 170,000 state employees and teachers. The workers had to take 10 hours of unpaid leave.

Perdue says the salary savings helped close a shortfall of more than $3 billion. The shortfall is expected to be smaller this year and Perdue already has returned public money she used to eliminate last year's gap.

The governor also told the newspaper she expects no pay raises for the second straight year. The Legislature will consider salaries when it reconvenes in May.

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SouthWest

March 10, 2010 - 1:28 pm EST

Hope she follows through with no pay raises for the second year.

Leonard

March 10, 2010 - 1:27 pm EST

This is unbelievable. Has the governor paid back all the money it withheld from NC counties and local government? Greensboro could use some of that money to help with our own deficit. And how about our state tax refunds being held up because of lack of money. Apply those savings to our tax returns. What in the world is the governor thinking?

Bosco

March 10, 2010 - 1:45 pm EST

Hey Bev, want to restore my pay cut?

nemrac

March 10, 2010 - 2:31 pm EST

Good point, state and government workers usually don't have to suffer like the general population. Perdue is nothing more than another government worker herself.

Panacea

March 10, 2010 - 2:39 pm EST

I beg to differ. I have suffered just as much in this economy as anybody else. I may have been forced to take 10 hours of unpaid leave, but the WORK still had to be done.

10 hours of leave . . . what a joke. The state simply confiscated my earnings after the fact.

I have no problem with not getting a cost of living increase this year, even though I could really use it. I understand things with the state are still tight. But don't give them that crap about "how good I've got it." My situation isn't any better or worse than anyone else, thank you very much.

Kesh

March 10, 2010 - 2:56 pm EST

I sooo agree.... She is such an idiot!!!

timflowers

March 10, 2010 - 2:25 pm EST

Meanwhile workers in the private sector continue to worry about layoffs and still haven't had their pay cuts restored.

The better solution would be to cut at least 10% of all government jobs, except for police, fire, and rescue. Shrink the government and reduce the tax burden.

jeffreycollis

March 10, 2010 - 4:23 pm EST

Trust me friend, we worry constantly about layoffs as well. I have a good number of coworkers who have been victims of the Reduction In Force (RIF). Additionally a good number of positions are not being filled when people retire, and their duties are being distributed across those of us fortunate enough to remain. However, all the while as hours are cut. It doesn't take great logic to figure out that doing more work in less time becomes difficult. I live paycheck to paycheck. I'm really disappointed that so many people find it such an easy solution to just "cut" people here and there to "reduce the tax burden." I don't suppose that thought extends to the realization that then there is an even greater burden to pay unemployment until those people find jobs (or the unemployment runs out). There is no easy solution to this.

v35bpilot

March 10, 2010 - 2:34 pm EST

Why school teachers? Where is the lottery money? Soon there will no longer be any teachers around!!

Kesh

March 10, 2010 - 2:59 pm EST

because teachers teach our children........lol

truth

March 10, 2010 - 4:54 pm EST

Pure politics. She knows it'll never happen. Just wants to look good for the last possible group that might vote for her again.

lilbean

March 10, 2010 - 5:33 pm EST

why is bev. perdue still Governor? wasn't there something about a nc constitutional violation?

spyderrms

March 12, 2010 - 1:28 pm EST

Sometimes I wonder why I even bother to go to work. The public treats state workers like a disease. Who do you think educates your kids, repairs your roads, processes those tax returns, inspects your buildings, and on and on and on? We are people too. We work hard for our salary. We face layoffs. We receive no pay increases. Try to do it without us. Just once, a comment of appreciation would be neat. I appreciate the restuarant workers, the store workers, the manufacturers, the famers.......... We are all in this together.