Gov. Dannel Malloy's latest proposal calls for 5,466 layoffs of state employees and eliminating another 1,000 jobs that are currently vacant after state employee unions voted against a concessions package that would have cut $1.6 billion in spending over two years.
"We've got to get our job done. We've got to get our fiscal house in order. We have to have a balanced budget. We've got to get it done quickly," Malloy said on Tuesday afternoon, before the details of his plan were released.
The proposal cuts the overall state workforce by 14 percent. Under the plan, more than 1,000 Department of Correction jobs would be eliminated, along with 540 positions in the Department of Developmental Services.
See the list of job cuts here.
"These are the recommendations that were sent to the Legislature, and if enacted, it will be left to each commissioner to determine how to achieve the savings outlined," Malloy's office said in a statement released on Tuesday. Malloy called for a special legislative session on Thursday to allow lawmakers to act on his new budget plan.
Malloy's new plan would achieve $700 million in savings in the first year of the two-year budget, and $900 million in the second.
The governor released his plan the day after state union leaders decided to hold off on formally rejecting the concession agreement. They're hoping to reach some sort of resolution with the union members before any layoffs take place.
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Based on the governor's proposed layoffs, the Department of Correction, the union that overwhelmingly rejected the concessions deal, would lose the most jobs at 1,019, but the department also had the most staff, so it amounts to a 15 percent cut.
The governor would cut three people from his own staff -- an 11 percent cut.
In response to the layoff numbers, union spokesperson Larry Dorman released a statement that read in part, "Cutting thousands of middle-class jobs will only add to our stagnant unemployment rate. Slashing services that every resident and business owner relies on will only degrade our quality of life."
Also part of the governor's Plan B is a $54 million a year in cuts in state aid for cities and towns.
"All session, we did our best to shield municipalities from cuts. And in working with the governor, there's still not going to be any cut in ECS, the dollars that support K-12 education. However, I understand the governor has to make a lot of tough choices," Senate President Pro Temp Donald Williams said.
State lawmakers are now considering whether to give the governor the authority to unilaterally make those tough choices.
"The proposal that we're looking at would be, in effect, a contingent plan, contingent on the fact that the rejection of the concession package remains in effect," said Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney.
In the meantime, the Democratic-controlled Legislature will meet in special session on Thursday and lawmakers will have to decide whether or not to give Malloy the power to make his cuts a reality.
