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November 30, 2007

Status of state worker layoffs' today unclear

PROVIDENCE – Today is supposed to be D-Day for the dozens of state employees who received layoffs notices two weeks ago.

By mid-day today, however, it remained unclear how many were, in fact, packing up to leave and how many had initiated a months-long process that would allow them to “bump’’ into a job held by another less senior employee.

No immediate answers were available this morning on the status of Governor Carcieri’s vow to eliminate 1,000-plus jobs to save $100 million to help stave off a projected deficit of up to $450 million during the year that begins on July 1.

And the numbers on how many people had received layoff notices dropped slightly from where they were at last report by the administration.

But Carcieri spokesman Jeff Neal said as of today 154 layoff notices have gone out; another 330 state workers have been notified their jobs may be abolished or “privatized’’ in the future.

In addition, the administration says it has put 168 temporary workers – also known as contract employees – on notice that, in the event they are still here, their jobs will end on June 30.

Rounding out the administration’s count are reported plans to leave vacant the jobs of a presumed 487 state employees who leave voluntarily by June 30. If all of those assumptions pan out, the state will have eliminated 1,139 of the 15,000-plus state employees and 660 contractors who, at last report, were working for state government.

-- Journal staff writer Katherine Gregg

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 2:44 PM | Permalink

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