LANSING, Mich. — Some state workers in Michigan are beginning to get temporary layoff notices.
State representatives told Fox 47 Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued temporary lay-off notices to more than 2,900 employees across the state government.
Gov. Whitmer's Press Secretary Tiffany Brown said there are about 48,295 state employees across the state government. She said the 2,900 that were laid off were working less than their typical full capacity due to their work being shifted to home.
Brown said the layoffs have saved about $5 million.
Brown said employees who have been laid off will retain their health insurance and other benefits and will be automatically enrolled in the unemployment process.
The employees who have been temporarily laid off will miss 10 consecutive days of work, Brown said.
The government will then reassess whether more days are necessary.
Employees with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services received the following letter:
Dear Colleagues,
This is a difficult time in every way. I think often about how you and your families are doing. At the same time, I am full of pride and gratitude for the wonderful work happening across MDHHS every day.
I am sure you know about the challenges facing our state budget. As you may have already heard, the State of Michigan is now planning temporary layoffs across state government.
Although only about 200 MDHHS employees will experience temporary layoffs, I know they will be challenging for all those who are affected. A formal notification will be sent to impacted employees via an email from HR later today. The layoffs will last for 10 workdays. While laid-off, employees will not be paid for that time period. They will retain their health insurance and other benefits, and the state will automatically sign them up to receive unemployment benefits.
I will share more with you as I have more information, and as planned, we will have a town hall tomorrow at 4 p.m.
I am grateful for your public service in this trying time.
All the best,
Robert
Employees with the Michigan Department of Transportation got a similar letter:
My Fellow MDOT Employees,
As you may have already heard, the State of Michigan is planning temporary layoffs for some employees. These will stretch across all departments in state government.
These layoffs will cover a two-week period. Laid off employees will retain their health insurance and other benefits, and the state will automatically sign them up to receive unemployment benefits. A formal notification will be sent to impacted employees via a standardized e-mail from Human Resources later this afternoon.
I will communicate with you further about this situation as decisions are finalized and more information is available to share. Now more than ever, it is vital for us to stick together and support one another.
Thank you for your continued efforts and commitment during these unprecedented times.
Paul C. Ajegba
Director
The layoffs come as a result of the continuing coronavirus pandemic which has greatly impacted the state over the last several weeks. As of Tuesday, April 21, Michigan had 32,967 cases with 2,700 deaths.
Last week, Senate Appropriation Committee Chairman Jim Stamas said he was "extremely worried about the state's budget as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency and excessively restrictive 'Stay Home, Stay Safe' lockdown order extended by Gov. Whitmer," in a news release.
The release said the Michigan Department of Treasury estimated the impact on the current state budget
"will be between $1 billion and $3 billion with another $1 billion to $4 billion hole in next year's budget."
“We are facing a serious financial challenge, and we need to consider all options to adjust our spending — such as cuts to popular programs and laying off nonessential state employees, including those in the Legislature,” said Stamas, R-Midland. “The state is doing everything it can to address the global COVID-19 pandemic, but we also must soon make the hard decisions to address its tremendous impact to our economy and state budget. The longer we wait to act, the deeper the cuts will need to be.
“I encourage the governor to deploy nonessential state employees to assist with unemployment claims instead of hiring more people and layoff any nonessential workers who cannot help people file unemployment claims.”
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