Today, a Sacramento County Superior Court Judge temporarily denied Gov. Schwarzenegger's legal request to immediately impose the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour on California state workers. This means that the salaries of approximately 200,000 hourly state employees are safe--for now. The legal battle is expected to continue next month, most likely in a full hearing.
After including furlough pay losses of 14 percent this past year, California's state workers' take-home pay is 44 percent less now than it was. But don't expect the Governor to acknowledge that state workers have given up more than their fair share anytime soon. On Monday, the Governor's bargaining team cut off negotiations with 95,000 SEIU Local 1000 state workers after less than 30 minutes--and presented no counter-proposal to the settlement package the union presented last week.
Today's ruling comes after Schwarzenegger's July 2nd decree ordering the salaries of hourly state employees be lowered to federal minimum wage. Why? Because the Legislature failed to pass a state budget by their July 1 deadline. So in Gov.Schwarzenegger's mind, what better way to get action, boys, action from lawmakers than hold public service workers (and their families) hostage?
According to the Governor's press secretary Aaron McLear, Schwarzenegger's administration is being 'forced' to deal this hand to workers because a 2003 Supreme Court ruling says that state workers do not have the rights to their full paychecks in the absence of a state budget. But, as Local 1000 President Yvonne Walker points out..."It doesn't have to be this way. No law requires the governor to cut wages. The Assembly has already passed AB 1699--a temporary funding measure that would avert this crisis."
It goes without saying that it's enormously unfair to make workers suffer because lawmakers couldn't strike a budget deal before July 1. The human impact of imposing a 68 percent pay cut would be catastrophic. Alice, a 15-year corrections employee, sums up the impact:
"Minimum wage will destroy us ... It will destroy California ... More people will lose their homes, their cars and, God forbid, their lives."
If you live in California, take action now avert minimum wage.
