Refusal of lawmakers to take furlough days insults state employees who had no choice
One of the arguments offered by lawmakers asking state employees — including teachers — to accept unpaid furlough days is that everyone is sharing the pain.
Well, that argument just went down in flames with the refusal of two House members to accept the pay cut on the “principle” that they signed on for a certain salary and they want their full pay
In an AJC exclusive, the paper reports that seven legislators did not the prescribed furlough days last year, most out of so-called “confusion,” but two others out of “principle.” (As to that confusion defense, more than 200 other lawmakers weren’t confused about the process. Why were these few so foggy on the details?)
Here is what the story says:
Four of the five senators who skipped the furloughs in 2009 said they were confused by the process governing the way lawmakers take such days, and the two House members said they had no intention of taking them. All seven are Democrats.
Rep. David Lucas of Macon and Rep. Earnest “Coach” Williams of Avondale Estates said they oppose the furloughs on principle. Both said the leadership ordered the days without consulting members, who ran for the office with the expectation they would be paid a certain salary.
“If the general public wants to get rid of David Lucas for that, then fine,” said Lucas.
Somebody ought to take Lucas up on that offer. To refuse a pay cut that rank and file state workers had to take is not only arrogant, it is insulting. Teachers and other state workers signed up their jobs also expecting a certain salary. They are not getting it.
Because we’re in a dire recession if Lucas and Williams haven’t noticed.
The story also says:
Legislators are paid $17,342 a year; 11 unpaid days would cost the average rank-and-file member about $725 each.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Speaker David Ralston said in a joint statement that updated estimates that state revenues will be down $1.2 billion for the fiscal year ending June 30 led to their call Tuesday for more voluntary furlough days for lawmakers.
“As elected leaders, we must lead by example,” the joint statement said. “We are not immune to the revenue shortfalls that are affecting our state and our families.”
Robyn Underwood, legislative fiscal officer, said the 11 furlough days will save the state about $170,000.
Four of the senators — Valencia Seay of Riverdale, Minority Leader Robert Brown of Macon, Lester Jackson of Savannah and Gloria Butler of Stone Mountain —said they intended to take the furlough days.
They said that in an “oversight” they had not filed the proper paperwork to have the money deducted from their checks.
“Their perception was that it was automatic,” said Benjamin F. George, Brown’s chief of staff. “It was not that they objected to it. This is nothing that any of them would have wanted to happen.”
The fifth senator, Ed Harbison of Columbus, said he had asked to take the furlough days and didn’t know until Tuesday that it hadn’t happened. He said he has asked that money be taken from his paychecks two days a month until he’s caught up.
Underwood confirmed that Harbison made that request, and she said she plans to offer to do the same for other legislators who did not — but want to — take all 11 furlough days.
Senators had to sign a form to take part in the furlough, while House members had to submit a letter to opt out, Underwood said.
This is when I wonder why these folks run for office and they keep getting re-elected.
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75 comments Add your comment
ScienceTeacher671
January 27th, 2010
8:00 pm
d, Sonny doesn’t care, but he can’t sign the budget until the General Assembly passes it…and if we’re stupid enough to let them get away with blaming Sonny for pork they could’ve removed, I guess we deserve what we get.
Macon Teacher
January 27th, 2010
8:00 pm
David Lucas is just an old politician who has forgotten what it is like to not be a state rep. He has been there forever and truly thinks he is special. His wife is on Macon City Council and has the same mentality. I wish I could say that Maconites would hold him to the fire for this, but the Lucases will continue to reign in the “almost” independent kingdom known as East Macon. The area is so poor and uneducated that the electorate just sees that Lucas gave them more money for some social program so they vote him another term. So sad, but a perfect case to prove the need for term limits. For the record, Robert Brown, another one of the seven, serves as state senotor for the same group of voters. This is so embarrassing.
Lovie Jones
January 27th, 2010
8:24 pm
I am not suprised that someone made those comments. It could work in our favor. One legislator stated on WSB TV that it was unconstitutional or not legal to furlough teachers and take our pay. Where in the heck were you guys when this was done to teachers? I am all for saving jobs for others. etc., my concern is this – let me know sooner than the day before the furlough takes place.
retired
January 27th, 2010
8:49 pm
All these legislaturs need to be gone ….confused or not!
Sp Ed Staff
January 27th, 2010
9:48 pm
Valencia–I can remember when you were on the BOE. You always said you were for teachers. I am disappointed in you. Whatever will teachers tell students when they ask about this?
Tweets that mention Refusal of lawmakers to take furlough days insults state employees who had no choice | Get Schooled -- Topsy.com
January 27th, 2010
10:05 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by nathan_mcgill, Maureen Downey. Maureen Downey said: Let them eat cake and take furlough days; lawmakers refuse furlough days that were forced on teachers. http://bit.ly/bl3kjv [...]
d
January 27th, 2010
10:59 pm
ScienceTeacher671 — I agree, but I think the governor has the legislators (at least the Republicans) wrapped around his little finger and what Sonny wants, Sonny gets. He’ll be fishing and riding while we’re using outdated resources in the classroom, and even worse for me being in Social Studies, no body cares about us, so at least you’ll have a bit of a better chance getting new microscopes or test tubes!
catlady
January 28th, 2010
7:48 am
How it works is this: the days you are absent are submitted to the school board office. If you are over your sick leave total, it is deducted from your pay. If you somehow don’t submit your days off, they don’t deduct your pay until someone finds out about it. Deduct these lawmakers’ furlough pay immediately, including any per diem they requested. (Do they get per diem on days the legislature is not in session?) I know it can really bump up their pay.
Furlough days should be automatic for anyone in state government. I sure didn’t have any choice of what days I would be off,
Also, since like the legislators I work year round preparing materials, etc, for my students, I want my furlough figured on the 260 rather than the 174 or however many we are now being paid for. That would mean another 1200$ in my pocket.
catlady
January 28th, 2010
7:51 am
And I want to be reimbursed for my travel expenses from my home to my work, like the legislators are. That would be $3000 more in my pocket. And I want to be reimbursed for expenses for my work–another 800$ or so.
I will pick up the additional $5000 (figuring it the way the legislators want to) on Monday.
Jacky Jack
January 28th, 2010
8:28 am
Can anyone explain to me why legislators are considered full time employees of the state when they actually only “work” 40 days a year? I asked Maureen and she said they had to attend town hall meetings, etc. Very similar to teachers attending PTO meetings, chaperoning school events, etc. Yet when furloughed days are computed teachers divide their salary by 190 (actual work days on contract) and legislators divide their salary by 260 (”normal” amount of work days in a calendar year). This seems totally unfair and appears to be another way the legislature is “sticking” it to us while they say publicly they suffer just like other state employees. I say BS.
Maureen Downey
January 28th, 2010
8:52 am
catalady, One of the biggest rackets – in my opinion – is that legislators have a per diem of more than $200 a day during the session, no matter if they live a block from the Gold Dome or 200 miles, (I am at home, and can’t access my story archives, but will get the exact reimbursement numbers later.)
Maureen
clueless
January 28th, 2010
10:09 am
Maybe the “per diem” should be addressed along with the ethics legislation.
retired
January 28th, 2010
10:51 am
Term limits……..
Samantha
January 28th, 2010
11:30 am
So….they had a CHOICE if they wanted to take furlough days? That’s a joke! Nobody else had that same option. They are supposed to lead by example..I think that they should be made to pay the taxpayers and State back for all of the days they didn’t take off! We are paying their salaries! Not the other way around. Not only should they be made to pay the taxpayers and State of Georgia back; but they should be made to pay it back with interest added to it.
For the rest of us; if we owe the state one red cent and we are late paying it back they add interest to it.
Last, but not least they should be fired! I as a tax payer want them to give up their seats! They are a poor example of leadership!
teacher/parent
January 28th, 2010
11:43 am
Someone check my math. A rough count (I’m in a hurry)-56 GA Senators and 179 Reps x $200 per diem x 40 day sessions. That comes to $47,000 per day and 1,880,000 per session.
what's right for kids???
January 28th, 2010
12:47 pm
Maybe instead of furloughing them, they should have their per diem cut by half.
Kira Willis for Governor!
Maureen Downey
January 28th, 2010
1:30 pm
teacher/parent, I have to correct my faulty memory. The per diem is $173 per day; Here is a piece I wrote when the Legislature raised the rate. Legislators get that during the session and any time they meet. (By the way, they can declare a meeting of one, as some have done and collect the per diem in the off-season.)
catlady
January 28th, 2010
4:15 pm
Like I say, I will be ready to pick up my $5000 for this year on Monday.
Also, Ms. Downey, I don’t think the rest of us get nearly that kind of per diem if we travel on state business.
I think we should open a bare-bones motel and mess hall (school type food, with the size portions we teachers get) for those who don’t live in Atlanta, so they don’t need to have the per diem. They can stay 2 to a room like we have to!
Reality Mom
January 28th, 2010
4:38 pm
We should be able to get a tax credit for all of the furlough days. We could get a form from our dept stating how much we lost per day and be able to take the full amount as a credit.
Y2Educate
January 28th, 2010
8:17 pm
So much for all the time that educators spend serving (without pay) as after school tutors, sponsors, their own administrative assistants, program directors, interior decorators (when was the last time you saw a school without any decorated bulletin boards, classrooms, and hallways), etc. On principle alone, in most other professions, we would be compensated for all the extra time and effort that we put forth. So how are we thanked in the state of GA? We are given even less days, with less pay, to accomplish the same goals.
Ole Guy
January 28th, 2010
8:30 pm
I realize that very few, if any, people wish to adopt any procedure which smacks of military. However, I feel that the voting public may find this proposal of interest:
During my early days in the military, the tactical officers (training officers) employed the concept of mass punishment. The idea was that if just one Candidate screwed up, the entire company would suffer the wrath of mass punishment, generally in the form of runs and low crawls, dragging gunny sacks full of rocks. This exercise was often held following the day’s final meal, which added the vomit factor through which all were compelled to share and endure.
The entire purpose of this arcane treatment was actually two-fold:
* As future leaders, we were expected to work together in achieving end goals. This working together was to be accomplished under any-and-all circumstances, no matter the degree of unpleasantness encountered.
* When one of the “links” in that chain of cooperative endeavor failed, the entire end objective was in dire jeapardy.
Now I know we can’t have our esteemed legislators behaving like 23 year old Officer Candidates, but we, as voting citizens of Georgia, can sure as hell send the message that when one of them “screws up”, by way of pleading confusion, the entire bunch of law makers have screwed up by not learning to work together…VOTE EVERY DAMN ONE OF EM OUT! I MEAN EVERYONE!
Kay Hosey
January 29th, 2010
9:41 am
As a teacher under contract, I can understand how Lucas feels. I guess we can count on Lucas to lead the fight for state employees and teachers on the furlough issue. Shouldn’t tax payers pay for services? Why do the state’s employees have to take on the unfair burden of the economy crunch. Should we have a temporary tax to cover the state’s expenses? Hey Lucas….give the govenor a call!
elementary teacher
January 29th, 2010
1:17 pm
Excuse me if this sounds like a racist comment but……how many of these folks are black?
In reference to the above comment by “reality check”…….ALL of them!
Report All the News
January 30th, 2010
8:20 am
When reporting on state lawmakers who refused to take furlough days, not a single local television station reported that they were ALL democrats. I just watched the Saturday morning recap and again that fact was omitted. Had they been republicans, that would have been the lead story. And numerous bloggers have mentioned that all the lawmakers were African American. How can those comments be considered racist when they are simply stating a fact? Using the racism charge to suppress the truth is an old and tired argument.
The continued liberal bias in the news sickens me. The ’silent majority’ of conservatives won’t be so silent come election time. As the independent voters from Massachusetts to Virginia have loudly proclaimed, the curtain has been pulled back to reveal the smoke and mirrors of this administration. A reckoning is coming.
Ole Guy
January 30th, 2010
4:49 pm
Look…I don’t give a damn about race, religion, party affiliation, or preference at the bar. Some of you folks are injecting a lot of superflous crap into the picture which, one way or the other, don’t mean a thing. Don’t take this personaly, but you’re having difficulty focusing on the issue, as though the race issue is, in itself, going to somehow make a difference. Can’t you people see…this is exactly what these damn politicos want…divide and conquer.
As I’ve indicated in previous comments…when one screws up, they all screw up. You people insist on re-electing the same boobs who insist on appointing the same morons, etc, etc. Come election time, they say the right things, smile the right smiles, and promise all sort of glittery trinkets…and like fools, rather than take the time to examine track records, you re-elect em. VOTE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF EM OUT…NO QUESTIONS, NO EXPLANATIONS.