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AP Photo/Lisa J. Tolda
Gov. Brian Sandoval, right, is joined by legislative leaders Sen. Steven Horsford, D-North Las Vegas, Assemblyman Pete Goicoechea, R-Eureka, Sen. Mike McGinness, R-Fallon, and Assembly Speaker John Oceguera, D-Las Vegas to announce a budget agreement Wednesday, June 1, 2011, at the Nevada Legislative Building in Carson City.
Friday, July 1, 2011 | 2 a.m.
Dale Erquiaga
Ben Kieckhefer
Sun coverage
A fifth round of budget cuts will take effect today, as the state implements the budget passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor. To hear the chorus of elected officials, both Democrats and Republicans, government has been cut to the bone as the Great Recession has dragged on.
But in one respect, the new budget’s effect is slight. Out of the almost 17,000 state employees, only 37 have received layoff notices effective today, the start of the new fiscal year.
State workers have once again largely escaped this recession’s cruelest effect — job loss — with a combination of increased retirements, elimination of vacant positions and cuts to pay and benefits.
The number, although still preliminary, surprised Republicans, Democrats and labor leaders, who expected a higher total.
Although all made it clear they didn’t want to add to Nevada’s already highest-in-the-nation unemployment, some wondered if the heated rhetoric during the legislative session — with some claiming the streets would run red with layoffs unless budget cuts were reversed — matched the actual outcome.
“If this turns out to be another case of ‘the sky is falling,’ I’m going to have a hard time believing anyone until I’m hit by a cloud,” said state Sen. Ben Kieckhefer, R-Reno, who voted for extending the tax increase.
For those who have lost their jobs, had family members’ work downsized or watched co-workers glumly pack up belongings after meeting with the boss, the layoff has become the defining experience of the recession.
That government employees have, to a large degree, escaped such a fate has set them apart from private-sector workers.
Some of this, of course, is to be expected.
“Government provides an essential safety net,” said Dale Erquiaga, Gov. Brian Sandoval’s senior adviser. “It has to continue at a certain level. We’re different from a company selling goods no one can buy in a recession. Demand for government services goes up in a recession.”
And even during its period of booming growth, Nevada had the fewest public employees per capita; state employees also made significantly less on average than their counterparts in local government.
The state budget will eliminate 665 full-time positions over the next two years, under the budget signed by Sandoval, according to the budget office.
Erquiaga said departments had “done a good job of placing people in other positions.”
He called it a “good outcome that only 37 people are laid off.”
But he said he understood if the public will be more skeptical when the public sector makes dire predictions.
“This has not resulted in mass layoffs as some predicted,” he said, naming specifically higher education and school district officials.
Higher education officials were still tallying numbers Thursday, and wouldn’t have complete figures until next week. The Clark County School District said layoffs will depend on union concessions.
Layoffs are, to be sure, just one measure of the economy’s toll — the stress of high unemployment, a failing housing market, collapsed construction industry and an eroded tourism base.
State workers have over the past two years had to take once-a-month furloughs. They will have to take six unpaid furlough days a year starting today, plus a 2.5 percent pay cut. In addition, they have to pay more toward their pensions, and saw dramatic reductions in health care benefits.
In total, it’s a reduction in take home pay of about 10 percent, according to Vishnu Subramaniam, chief of staff of the AFSCME Local 4041, the state’s largest employee union.
Even where employment is flat, state employees face much higher workloads as people look to government for help.
The state’s Welfare and Supportive Services Division, which gives out Medicaid, food stamps and welfare, had 1,247 workers approved for the upcoming two years, the same number it had this year. But with the numbers seeking assistance growing, the agency projects workers there will have gone from fielding 160 cases per employee to 306.
“Our employees are being asked to do more and more every day,” said Romaine Gilliland, administrator of the division. “With this economy still suffering, they see more clients every day.”
That, he said, has led to higher error rates and the possibility of more fraud. It has also led to the state meeting its deadlines about 85 percent of the time.
“That sounds like a high number, unless you’re one of the families waiting for food stamps,” he said.
Schwartz writes: "The state's Welfare and Supportive Services Division, which gives out Medicaid, food stamps and welfare, had 1,247 workers approved for the upcoming two years, the same number it had this year."
"Gives out" Medicaid, etc.? No, it ADMINISTERS those programs. That's the problem with welfare. Everyone think it's just "given out," like those dollars must have come out of Obama's "stash," right?
Sharing the pain, are we? Appears, not so much. Face it, 90% is a heck of a lot better than 0%. Meanwhile, the smiles are broad in union offices as their membership numbers remain high and the dues used to back leftist candidates for public office are still pouring in. Win - win - for unions and politicians. Lose - lose - for the public at large and NV taxpayers!
Well if you watch the state highway workers and go to DMV anyday, it is pretty clear the lay offs were most likely the wrong people.
So many lazy un educated people but as long as they are bilingual we will keep them.
What a load of horse ssshhhiii--- this is 37 out of 17,000 wow that should really save this stae.
Get rid of reid that would help a lot more...
So, now the overpaid public sector knows how the private sector feels when the pay checks are no longer there... negotiated themselves nice pay increases, better health care plans, better retirement/pension plans and negotiated themselves right out of a job... greedy greedy...
And thank you Nevada Supreme Court for forcing the governor to extend the taxes that were about to sunset. This singular act saved the Nevada economy. And I don't hear anybody in business complaining about taxes they were already paying continuing. Unless you are one of those evil NPRI propagandists.
I guess that for those 37 folks who are getting laid off the comments made a few days ago by Obama have a great impact----"The economy is getting stronger, it is on the road to recovery....." Currently not even a team of surgeon's could help in that "recovery"..!
Some public sector employees are unionized - CCSD school teachers, firefighters, and police officers - and they have seen very little harm through this recession. Four years in, and they are debating the size of their annual pay increases.
State workers, however, are not unionized, and they have taken real and substantial hits. Although their work loads have dramatically increased, salaries have been frozen since January 2008, furloughs have cost employees an additional 4.8% cut for two years, and these cuts will be extended, under slightly different rules, for another two years, and benefits have been decimated while becoming substantially more expensive.
Whatever one thinks of budgeting in Nevada, one important element of this story is how unfairly cuts have been imposed on higher education and other state service workers, relative to all public employees.
There are certainly MORE than 37 workers that work directly or indirectly (education/police/fire) for the STATE of Nevada, that are losing their jobs! Was this articles meant to "soften" the political blow as the reality of a SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION looms on the horizon?
How is "Kicking the political can down the road," working, LAWMAKERS?
All the stalling with 2-party (Good ol' Boy) system bickering left the LAWMAKERS with no time to meaningfully address the Nevada State Constitution laws towards TAX RESTRUCTURING AND REFORM! Nevada has been experiencing economic decline and the way to keep the state flush and functional is by having the TAX REVENUE to do so. Nevada LAWMAKERS failed to effectively deal with state revenue issues and now face a Special Session at taxpayer expense!
Nevada's TAX revenue laws have virtually gone nearly 100+ years UNCHANGED thanks to the LAWMAKERS kicking the political can down the road, hoping that it would not fall upon them to address during their term of service. Is that the kind of REPRESENTATION that VOTERS expect of elected LAWMAKERS?
Maybe.
Remember, in the past 25 years, Nevada has grown from Ghost towns to populations in the millions. Part of those millions are ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS who have a negative impact on the state infrastructure, and the other part are people from everywhere, many who are ILLITERATE and fell asleep in their high school government classes, or are apathetic voters. About 5% are political interests and contributors to LAWMAKERS and a handful of educated citizens. There's your demographics.
During the last 20 years, Clark County experienced UNSUSTAINABLE and uncontrolled immigration and growth, hit and miss regulation, and expansive corruption in both public and private business sectors. OUCH!
Nevada LAWMAKERS & GOVERNOR(S) have typically enjoyed careers that goes unresisted by voters or citizens, and they simply "kick the political can down the political road for the next Legislative Session," without addressing any REAL TAX STRUCTURE REFORMS FOR MINING, Gaming/Resorts, and Big Box Stores. Why upset those who contribute directly or indirectly to campaign contributions, right? That is political career suicide.
During the FINAL HOUR of the Nevada 76th State Legislative Session, LAWMAKERS ushered bills through that there was no public scrutiny nor LAWMAKER discussion. At the end,LAWMAKERS celebrated with expensive bottles of champagne!
So how is "Kicking the political can down the road," working? Yeah, thought so.
Here's the problem: have the right 37 been laid off? I could happily provide a list. Furthermore, how many people with ridiculously high salaries have barely suffered while state employees who are low-paid--I'm thinking of administrative assistants I work with--end up needing state and federal services because their wages are now officially poverty-level? Further, Mr. Erquiaga's "safety net" is a lot stronger for Barrick Gold than it is for lesser folk.
Did anyone really read this article? Every state worker took pay and benefit cuts. Did you? And much of the burden was absorbed by not filling vacant positions, meaning everyone else has to do more to make up for the loss. And many people left the state to find work before they were laid off. So yes it was bad. Just because it was possible to shuffle around so that only 37 more had to go, doesn't mean there wasn't a problem. If you were in those departments you'd see the problem. But it is just easier complain. Walk in someone else's shoes before you judge.
Is Sandoval campaigning for a Republican Vice Presidential Slot while Dale runs the State?
If we were the first State to legalize Gay mariage, if we legalized pot and prostituion, we would have gobs of money. Throw in a lottery too.
We have lost the historical edge because of the dittoheads and their prudishness.
If Mr. Sun was being honest...
The headline would read:
"A FIFTH ROUND OF BUDGET CUTS WILL TAKE EFFECT TODAY"
Instead of the disingenuous, misleading, slap-in-the-face to publicly employed Nevadans headline that is being used.
-OR-
Mining skates again, while TENS of THOUSANDS of Nevada's workers suffer Budget's consequences.
AGAIN...to be HONEST about it...this is THE FIFTH ROUND OF BUDGET CUTS, and as Mr. Green & Ms Singer point out in their commentary, MANY NEVADANS have lost jobs, taken pay reductions, (plural) lost benefits, taken on added duties, and STILL come to work every day and kiss the public's collective butt....
So, haters, go hate on someone else today. I'm sure you have others that you hate with nearly as much venom as you do the beaten & battered "public servant"...
Right, FINK???
I thought listening to the dems in the legislature that we were going to back to the dark ages. What happened??? remember this the next time they start doomsdaying and using the fear tactics.
I agree with Bob_Realist.
So that puts the unemployment rate of state workers at about 0.22%. Keep going.
Fire all of them, they have done a terrible job.
@By staralioflundnv (Star Ali Mistriel-Kogan) wrote: There are certainly MORE than 37 workers that work directly or indirectly (education/police/fire) for the STATE of Nevada, that are losing their jobs! Was this articles meant to "soften" the political blow as the reality of a SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION looms on the horizon?
We're waiting for the totals from higher ed and school districts on their layoffs. As I hope the story made clear, this was not meant to imply public sector hasn't been touched by the recession (or "soften the political blow"). But layoffs are certainly one measure of the suffering of a sector of the economy.
Cities, counties and states need to quit putting of the inevitable, tax revenues are down and we can no longer hang on to public employees if the money is not there. We are hang on too long. Let get to a level we can deal with and let start stabilizing our economy.
A lot of these people were given pension plans, benefits, etc. because when everything was booming private sector people didn't want to touch public type jobs. Lower pay, less chance for advancement if you were aggressive in private industry. The sky was the limit in the private sector as we learned. Housewives making 300k/year selling homes part time. Well, as I see it..the private sector employees/management/executives were at ground zero of the implosion. Now they are going after the people who simply did their jobs without the "more, more, more money" attitude the private sector had. I say too bad for the private sector. A lot of these public people had guaranteed deals. The old saying misery loves company comes into play and it should'nt. By and large it was the private sector that destroyed the nations economy thru pure outright greed.
I'm a state worker and, as of today, I've had a 4.8% state income tax imposed on me - a flat out 2.5% permanent pay reduction and a temporary (define temporart) 2.3% furlough of six manditory unpaid leave days per year. Plus benefit costs are up considerably and actual benefits have been cut. And, so you know, today is my last day working in this miserable hell-hole of a state.
We are moving to the east coast and as far away from Nevada as we possibly can. There will still be Republicans and Conservatives and I'm alright with that. What I can't stand are the idiots and fools that call themselves Republicans and Conservatives in this state.
It's not the labels that are the problem here. It's the short-sighted, narrow-minded, uneducated, self-centerer, cans of crap politicians and citizens that use those labels to promote their misguided agendas that are the problem. Every state has republicans but most of them realize the importance of education and preserving the rights and dignity of those less fortunate.
Nevada's Republicans are different in all kinds of unflattering ways and their thoughts and actions cause even the most traditional neo-con to cringe. Who knows, maybe it's the radiation or the heat or the allergies that have caused this mutation but it has earned Nevada a reputation few states are jealous of . . . Mississippi and Arkansas say thank you for taking the spotlight off of them.
And guess what? It's going to get worse before it gets better - if it's ever going to get better. Nevada has hitched its wagon to a falling star. Gambling will never be to the state what it has been. Not with practically every state having legal gambling now. People don't need to come here anymore and they won't. There is nothing attractive or appealing about Nevada other than gambling and that rose has wilted and faded.
Save your, "Don't let the door knob hit you . . . " jabs. We can't get out of here soon enough.
So long and thanks for the cheese.
A well thought, spot on parting shot...
Good luck, TonyV!!!
This story is very misleading. There may have been 37 layoffs effective today, but there are hundreds more on the way.
UNLV's most recent $20 million budget cut will result in the loss of 9 departments, 18 degree programs and nearly 100 full time academic positions. At least another hundred employees received notices that their contracts will not be renewed. There will be cuts at UNR, CSN, NSC, Great Basin, etc.
Higher education was dealt another massive blow by the 2011 legislature. It will just take a bit more time to see the effects.
Good, please lay off more these ridiculously overpaid public workers.
No more more Janitors making 90K a year....
http://transparentnevada.com/salaries/20...
We can't afford it anymore.
Sincerely,
The Nevada Taxpayer
"I'm a state worker and, as of today, I've had a 4.8% state income tax imposed on me - a flat out 2.5% permanent pay reduction and a temporary (define temporart) 2.3% furlough of six manditory unpaid leave days per year."
OK....Let's make a deal. No more "tax increses" on public workers.....however for decades after decades after decades many of you have been getting "tax credits" in forms of higher salaries, better benefits, higher than private workers salary increases.....you need to refund the taxpayers for all those "tax credits".
The article's numbers are both deceptive and inappropriate. They are inappropriate because the author surely knew what he was writing and wrote a rosy article anyway.
The numbers are deceptive because they largely exclude the cuts from ALL of the areas where the most cuts were taken. This is particularly true of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), which took the lion's share of cuts in 2010-11 and now again faces the greatest reduction of any area of state government.
NSHE, most of whose employees are State employees, has laid off hundreds of people this year. Even the small rural colleges have cut sizable portions of the regular workforce. Since 2009, UNR alone has lost 600 faculty and staff positions; WNC has lost 25% of its teaching faculty in the past several years.
Most state workers will take a 4.8% furlough or cut this biennium, on top of the 4.6% cut that they took during the last biennium. That came after a set of salary freezes. Take-home pay will be further reduced, due to an increase in the employee's mandatory contribution to the privately-overseen retirement funds.
Whenever the budget is cut disproportionately, there are bound to be areas in which there are few cuts at all. There are some sectors that improved this fiscal year over last year. However, where there were cuts, in many cases the cuts were severe.
just another shovel ready project...........
what Schwartz forgot to report is the many jobs that were added through the new state budget.
This article is only based on part of the truth. 37 State Jobs may be gone at the "State-level" but unknown numbers of State Workers lost their jobs at the "University-level" and their last day was June 30. I was one of them. I worked for the University of Nevada Press as Warehouse Manager for 11 years, 11 months, and 18 days. I know of a Cashier who lost her job after 7 years. SCS (computer techs at NSHE) have lost 30 people between Las Vegas and Reno. Half-truth do NOT equal the truth; it equals deceit.
I don't think that the Sun or Schwartz were trying to mislead with the article. It is a complex subject.
Yes, the Sun is the offical mouthpeice for the Nevada Democratic Party.
Yes, the Sun hates conservatives, the Republican Party in general and the LVRL.
Yes, the Greenspuns probably sometimes come into the news room, barks out orders to write news stories that either are slanted to help friends or the Demcoratic party.
Yes, they put subjective editorial opinion in some "news" pieces.
But here, I don't think they did anything intentionally wrong.
The British government taxed us with out representation, devalued our currency, sent it's soldiers into our homes without legal search warrants, and it punished us for criticizing the British King.
Thank you for the first law of Independence while we were still subject to the King.
Which is, our freedoms come from humanity which is a gift from God and do not come from government. The British King said our laws came from him. And could be expanded or shrank at his will.
Many fought and were wounded and died over this. And we the people wrote a Constitution create and limit a Federal government.
Then the "government" added the Bill of Rights because the government feared big government.
Thanks and good luck, and Happy July the Fourth
I just hope people remember the loss of positions, both filled and vacant in state government when you complain about longer wait time at DMV, longer wait time for Employment and Training, less information available on state website. Remember the cuts when you get frustrated while waiting in line at city offices, county offices, CCSD,and UNLV. You have gotten what you have paid for.
@1776. Transparent Nevada is a site of Nevada Public Research Institute (NPRI). What I would also point out is the site doesn't point out where the position is, how long the person has been in the position, and the salary range for the position. It also doesn't point out the duties and responsibilities of the position. Is this position for the head custodian of the UNLV complex, or some other supervisory positio?. I doubt very much that this is an entry level position for somebody whose only responsibility is pushing a broom.
I would point out that this is the same NPRI that rated John Hambrick and Barbara Cegavske, who both represent Clark County districts as top 10 Legislators in the last session. Both Hambrick and Cegavske voted against extending the sunset taxes, both voted against the state budget, both voted against funding K-12 education, both voted against funding higher education, and both voted against eliminating some of the tax breaks for mining. NPRI advocated not passing the sunset tax extensions and reducing the bare bones budget by an additional 500 million or so. NPRI also thinks that a low tax structure will attract business to Nevada. NPRI also has the position that advanced degrees for teachers and the resulting pay are not needed. NPRI has also stated that younger, less experienced teachers are more effective that older, more experienced, and more expensive teachers.
@TonyV
"We are moving to the east coast and as far away from Nevada as we possibly can."
Try Lubec,ME 2567 miles from here. Good chowder, lobster, and a good ten-month winter.
Watch out for Horsieford!
Another 600-700 state jobs are eliminated. This after year after year of cuts, lay offs....
WCSD raises class sizes in grades 1-3 by 2 students, from 17-18 all the way up to 20. SOME SACRIFICE. No new text books for a year. Yet they have time and money to have endless "town hall" meetings to wail, whine and cry for more taxpayer money. Just like CCSD.
This article tells only part of the story. To bad you can't do a complete accounting of all job losses in the state not just in the public sector. Many people not on lost jobs but the ones that are employed have had wages cut, more than I read here, lost full time work, have to pay more for health care or lost it altogether. In my opinion these people are lucky to be employed