State Employee Layoffs Notices Go Out

Gov. Malloy told "Morning Joe" he's still hopeful a deal will be reached.

Just before the holiday weekend, layoff notices started going out to state employees but
Gov. Dannel Malloy said he is hopeful that a deal will still be reached on state labor union concessions.

Without an agreement on the deal labor leaders and the Malloy administration reached, Malloy said he has to layoff about 6,700 state employees and that process has already begun.

The state began issuing layoff notices to some workers Wednesday. About 200 have gone out, according to the state Office of Policy and Management. Some were to correction officers at Bergin Correctional Institution in Mansfield, which is slated to close. Correction officers who have seniority can bump others for positions at other correctional facilities in the state.

Malloy was on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Friday morning and part of the discussion about the state’s budget situation was about laying off state employees.

“Connecticut’s got to balance its budget, both in a short-term basis, which a lot of people are concentrating on. I’m concentrating on a long-term basis. We have a benefit package we can no longer afford -- in fact, we cannot afford (it) now. We have the worst funded pension plan in the United States at 42 percent,” Malloy said.

But, even with layoff notices going out, Malloy said he is hopeful that the deal agreed upon will be move forward.

“Either we get our fiscal house in order and we reach agreements that allow us to do that on a short-term and long-term basis or these cuts will be implemented and there will be other changes made, including ultimately having to resolve some of these matters in the Legislature, but I’m hopeful that we’ll all get back to the table,” Malloy said.

Fifty-seven percent of union members approved the concessions package, but union rules require 80 percent approval.

“The package that was negotiated will in fact be approved, one way or the other, that we don’t have to tear families apart by laying off one or two of the parents in the family,” Malloy said. “We’ve got to find a way to get that implemented,” he added later.

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