Newsom orders layoffs for 15,000 S.F. workers but plans to hire back most on part-time basis

[Robbien]

Source: Pleasanton Weekly News

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom cut the workweek for 15,000 full-time city employees to 37.5 hours Friday as a cost-cutting measure.

The mayor's office also clarified that approximately 15,000 of the city's 26,000 workers were to start receiving layoff notices Friday and over the weekend, and not 20,000 as it said earlier.

. . .

Newsom said the layoff notices are a "technical" measure, and that the "overwhelming majority" of the noticed workers will be rehired immediately, should they so choose, but at a part-time status, working a half-hour less each day. That would amount to an approximately 6.25-percent pay cut, he said.

"This is a way of ... substantially maintaining our city services," Newsom said. He said it will save "arguably thousands of jobs," though future additional layoffs will still be necessary, he added.

Read more: http://www.pleasantonweekly.com/news/show_story.php?id=3606

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Full time status to part time status for over half of the city's staff.

And the article carefully only talks about the reduction in pay avoiding any talk about a corresponding reduction of benefit status.

[MadMaddie]

1. Translated they don't have to pay their healthcare --Walmartization

is what this is. Expect to see more of it this year.

[WinkyDink]

3. Or pensions. Or over-time. Or be given a reason for termination. All those "useless and evil" union

benefits.

[nodehopper]

4. does that mean that in California?

In MA if you work more than half-time the employers have to offer you health insurance.

[Sgent]

12. Yea... but MA

has the evil Romney care that the rest of the country doesn't, so any employees are screwed for health insurance.

[nodehopper]

26. this was the case in MA even before Romneycare

if you worked more than 20 hours a week you were eligible for benefits. I think it varies by state.

[WriteDown]

27. Yeah, in TX it's 32hrs. nt

[marmar]

2. Gavin has mastered the art of spin control, I see.....

The World's Greatest Country is circling the drain.

[EFerrari]

6. That's really all he has been good at. n/t

[paulsby]

8. not really. the world's greatest country (tm) is in a RECESSION

has happened before, will happen again

chicken littles have always said "it's the end"

and it never is

hth

[tavalon]

16. Your job is secure as is mine

but this is the worst recession I've personally ever seen. As well, this one is different because the consumer base is imploding. Just because you and I can still buy food and geegaws doesn't mean that this isn't awful. And yeah, it's the beginning of the end of our status as a first world country. Your job will actually outlast mine, come to think of it, because when food becomes even scarcer, the police will still have to keep order. But, I'm not sure I could keep my spirit intact while policing starving people.

[paulsby]

17. i have yet to see any starving people

and thus, this is a bad recession, but nowhere NEAR what people suffered during, for example, the great depression.

it is NOT the beginning of the end

there is an old (and true) saying in finance (mostly amongst traders) when people talk about bubbles or recessions . people always say "it's different this time"

except it isn't

the real estate bubble was "different". no, it wasn't.

nor was the tech bubble, etc.

it's not "different" in that, it's happened before, it will happen again

it's a recession.

people were calling for massive food shortages (for example) DECADES ago to happen very soon. lots of hysterical 70's books and articles, for example.

as soon as i start seeing a bunch of starving people, i'll let you know

in a nation where obesity is the #1 health problem amongst the lower income quintiles, i'm not holding my breath

[tavalon]

18. I want you to be right

But since we've been running our own personal soup kitchen, I would have to say you aren't looking very closely (yes, Seattle and the Eastside). Most of my friends are out of work and starving. Perhaps I don't keep a high enough class of friends but I really don't think this a testament to their worthiness. They aren't starving because we've all come together as a community and thank the gods for that.

[paulsby]

19. i think we can probably meet at the middle

i've been to two of the downtown soup kitchens. i'm not saying it's not tough. i'm just saying it's not anywhere NEAR AS BAD as the great depression (which we recovered from), and there's not a lot of starving going on. i frequently work "the hood" and plentyy of people are still wasting money on energy drinks and cigs, etc.

[tavalon]

20. I can go with that

[paulsby]

9. not really. the world's greatest country (tm) is in a RECESSION

has happened before, will happen again

chicken littles have always said "it's the end"

and it never is

hth

[salib]

5. This is EXACTLY what you do not do as a Gov't org during "tough times"

They need to f*ing raise taxes enough to cover these people. This only speeds up the downward spiral.

Have we learned so little?

[girl gone mad]

13. Raise taxes on what, though?

Home values have declined significantly, sales tax revenue is way down, with the rate of unemployment + underemployment hovering close to 20% income tax isn't reliable, either.

The private sector has been squeezed for 3 decades. The housing bubble kept the pyramid propped up a little longer, but the private sector can't support the public sector any longer and unlike the federal government, states and municipalities can't print their way out of deficits.

[inna]

15. Raise taxes on the wealthy, clearly.

[Lagomorph]

25. Those guys are pretty slippery....

A lot of otherwise liberal people graduate from college and go on to enable the rich to move their wealth into protected assets.

[Gumbyman2]

7. All part of the plan...

Just brings us a little closer to the day when we will be making toys with lead paint for the children in China.

[notadmblnd]

10. I bet there's a whole lot of people that suddenly decided they're for a Public Option.

[2Design]

11. everyone living in SF gets health care - I believe it is separate from employment n/t

[inna]

14. It's a myth.

As for the OP - Newsom is OK on civil liberties, but basically a Republican lite on everything else.

[2Design]

22. yea - I am sure that is why he married gay people first n/t

[inna]

24. that's why i said he's good on civil liberities, but pretty much sucks on everything else.

not sure about you, but i consider a right to marry a civil liberty.

[2Design]

21. he was on someone's show recently and said - oh Rachel's show nt

[FairOaksCA]

23. Clarification

Just to clarify, the paper chose the word "part-time", not Newsome. The affected employees will work 37.5 hours per week instead of 40 hours. Employees will maintain all benefits. The only effect (besides the reduced hours) would be on calcultaion of retirement benefits that are calculated on final annual compensation.

SFGate article has more details: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/06/BAJ11CBKHJ.DTL