Gov. Ige continues push to furlough state workers

HONOLUU (KHON2) — The governor is continuing to push the option of furloughs for state workers as the state’s economy continues to freefall due to the pandemic. He needs to send a proposal to the state legislature by Dec. 20, but a key lawmaker says there are ways to avoid the pay cuts.

Gov. David Ige has told the unions he wants to furlough state workers two days per month for the next four years, which amounts to approximate 10% pay cut. The chairwoman of the House Finance Committee says there are ways to put off the furloughs for at least a couple of years.

“In our estimation, the furlough discussion is premature because where we actually see, in fact a more severe hit, would be in 2023,” said Rep. Sylvia Luke.

Luke says the state faces a budget shortfall of up to $1.8 billion over the next two years. It would have been more, but the governor took out a $750 million loan in November, 2020. She says the state can offset some of the shortfall by not filling positions left open by workers who retire, approximately 2,000 workers per year.

Read more: https://www.khon2.com/coronavirus/gov-ige-continues-push-to-furlough-state-workers/