Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has ordered about 200,000 state workers to be paid the federal minimum wage
because the state Legislature has not passed a budget.
Department of Personnel Administration Director Debbie Endsley sent the order Thursday in a letter to the state controller. Most state employees will be paid the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour for the July pay period.
Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear says the change should be reflected in state employees’ next paycheck. Workers will be paid in full retroactively once a budget is passed.
Controller John Chiang said earlier Thursday that he wouldn’t comply with the minimum wage order, KCRA-TV said.
California Assembly Speaker John Perez, D-Los Angeles, expressed his disdain late Thursday in a statement, saying that that he’s disappointed in the governor’s actions.
“This is not a realistic proposal to save the state cash any more than his budget plan, which kills 430,000 jobs, is a realistic proposal to close our deficit. Using working families as leverage is not the kind of leadership we need to get through this budget process,” Perez said.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38048981/ns/politics-more_politics/
California Cities Shutting Police Forces to Close Budget Gaps
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