Whether you work for Metro or for the State, chances are that someone has been evaluating how essential your job is. 2000 buyouts are being discussed for State government and 200 layoffs for Metro are in the works.
Let's say that most of these employees are downtown, just for the sake of argument. And let's say that all of them eat lunch for about $5 per person every day (or spend $5 downtown on something just about every day), that's an almost $3 Million impact on downtown in one year.
Of course, not all of the employees whose jobs are being cut work downtown. And not all of them spend $5 on lunch, but some spend more and some buy other things. And many of the Metro employees who are being laid off will land in other Metro jobs...or at least that's the hope.
I'm not saying the State or Metro had good alternatives, but there will be an impact beyond those employees and their families. I should note that SEIU's Mark Naccarato thinks Metro could approach the matter differently. He accuses Mayor Dean of "robbing Peter to pay Paul." Not surprising considering that SEIU endorsed Bob Clement in the runoff. By way of disclaimer, I should add that TEP-PAC endorsed Dean in the runoff.
As state employees, my coworkers and I anxiously await how the Governor will approach the voluntary buyouts. I imagine they will focus on employees who are near retirement, but who knows? I do know that some of the shortfall is due to federal cuts in DCS targeted case manangement programs. I used to work for a contractor doing business with DCS. This will surely affect some friends of mine.
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