Montgomery, AL – The state Personnel Board's efforts to create a furlough plan for state employees has received another setback.
The Personnel Board approved a policy last year that would allow state agencies to furlough employees for up to 24 days a year to reduce payroll costs during the state's budget shortfall. The state employees' union opposed the plan, and the Legislature's regulatory body, the Legislative Council, blocked it last year.
The Senate approved the council's decision on its opening day Tuesday with a voice vote. Now the issue goes to the House, where Rules Committee Chairman Ken Guin says he hopes to address it Thursday.
The Personnel Board promoted the furlough plan as a way to avoid layoffs. But the Alabama State Employees Association said it would be a way of asking workers to take pay cuts.
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