Potential Partial Shutdown of AK State Government About This Page:

[jenifermg0]

So, I am a state employee here in beautiful Alaska.

Our legislature is dragging their collective feet and acting like a bunch of toddlers (although, toddlers might actually act better) and refusing to come to some kind of compromise on the state budget.

As a result, this past Monday, the state had to send out warning letters to around 10,000-12,000 employees that they may be layed off on July 2nd...until such time as a budget is passed.

Now, this doesn't apply to certain employees/departments. One of those departments is Public Safety...who, luckily, I work for. So that means, I won't receive the notice and will continue to get a paycheck.

However, I am so incredibly frustrated with our elected officials for not getting this done. They are leaving so many families (employee and otherwise) is such a state of limbo. So many of these families live paycheck to paycheck. Even though they will all be eligible for unemployment checks, it's going to be a NIGHTMARE for the office that processes these. They will have such a huge influx of new claims, I can't see how they will be processed in a timely fashion!!

Keep your fingers crossed for the people of Alaska...And come visit us and help support our state with your tourist dollars.

[Huntermom]

I think so many in our society forget that as a society we need government services.

ONe of the people I work with has been a life long government employee and has never worked in the private sector, she complains about salary and benefits constantly yet proudly supports her daughter who works to "streamline" (aka cut to bare bones) government.

We all use government-even businesses. Who paves the roads, delivers the mail, puts out fires and keeps order? We need government. Maybe a few weeks without will wake some people up.

Jennifer, I hope you get paid if there is no budget. It is unfair to expect people to work but not get paid.

[jenifermg0]

Originally Posted by Huntermom

I think so many in our society forget that as a society we need government services.

ONe of the people I work with has been a life long government employee and has never worked in the private sector, she complains about salary and benefits constantly yet proudly supports her daughter who works to "streamline" (aka cut to bare bones) government.

I do not have issues with streamlining our goverenment, to a point. I have seen waste over my 26 years with this department and there are ways to save money, but not at the expense or on the backs of the people doing the work.

Originally Posted by Huntermom

We all use government-even businesses. Who paves the roads, delivers the mail, puts out fires and keeps order? We need government. Maybe a few weeks without will wake some people up.

This is so true. If the goverment shuts down, one of the departments to shutter will be the Marine Highway system...meaning our ferries will stop running. The only way people will be able to get in and out of Southeast will be by plane or private boat. That's going to be BAD...there are hundreds of families who RELY on the ferry for transportation, household goods, food etc for their small communities.

In fact, my sister is currently working in Juneau (with a private sector company) and getting home may be a chore for her...she has a little truck she had shipped on the ferry with her and getting it back to Southcentral is going to be trick if the ferry isn't running.

Originally Posted by Huntermom

Jennifer, I hope you get paid if there is no budget. It is unfair to expect people to work but not get paid.

I am considered a "Class I" employee. This means I cannot strike (if our union ever did this for any reason). It also means my position is essential to the "life, health or safety" of the people of Alaska. In short, it means I will continue to work and will continue to get a paycheck. I just feel so bad for the other people who don't know what if going to happen in 3 1/2 weeks.

[cubfancolleen]

YIKES! I feel so badly when things like that happen - especially since those who are being stubborn about it, and not getting the laws/budgets passed usually DO still get a paycheck!

Any guess what this means for those of us who ARE coming to spend tourist dollars there? For instance, would it impact Mendenhall Glacier? Most of what we're doing is through private companies, but I'd think port authority could be state employees?

[jenifermg0]

Originally Posted by cubfancolleen

YIKES! I feel so badly when things like that happen - especially since those who are being stubborn about it, and not getting the laws/budgets passed usually DO still get a paycheck!

Any guess what this means for those of us who ARE coming to spend tourist dollars there? For instance, would it impact Mendenhall Glacier? Most of what we're doing is through private companies, but I'd think port authority could be state employees?

I can't see the ports being closed, especially with all the cruise ships.
However, I'll do some checking...would be interesting to see what the plan is.

And the tours to glaciers etc are all done by private companies so the excursions you have scheduled should be fine.

[Pax]

Originally Posted by Huntermom

I think so many in our society forget that as a society we need government services.

ONe of the people I work with has been a life long government employee and has never worked in the private sector, she complains about salary and benefits constantly yet proudly supports her daughter who works to "streamline" (aka cut to bare bones) government.

Honestly?

You have NO IDEA how bad that attitude gets.

My mother works for the IRS - she mans one of the phones in their call/help center. And what she describes is a HORROR STORY.

First, their salaries have been frozen for something like ten years. Second, they lay off people every year, every year .... "when the money runs out". Then re-hire them when the new annual budget comes into effect.

Second, their employee retention is utter crap. They spend 4-6 weeks training people to do the job ... and lose 80% or more of them within the first month after the training is complete. Working there is just THAT miserable. They will give people "Errors" - permanent marks against them - for the TINIEST thing. Even simple typographical errors, or using a comma instead of a semicolon. PITA nit-picking stuff.

Third, their policies and procedures could have been better written by a typical two-year-old child. In a recent conversation, she mentioned that sometimes the procedure manuals will say "If <circumstance>, you must do <action>" ... but there isn't anywhere, ANYwhere, that tells them how do do that action. Nowhere in the whole of the IRS ...!

Fourth, their equipment ... my god ... it's stuck in the late 70s and early 80s. They have to use multiple databases, DOS programs even ... each of which will spit out codes that they then have to look up in some OTHER database, which gives them a code to look up in one of their many inches-thick reference binders ... which might, if they're lucky, NOT send them off to a third database to find out MORE codes.

And all that, in this modern day and age of cloud storage, cloud processing, internet connectivity ... it's enough to make ME want to yank out handfuls of MY hair. Can you imagine what it's like to work there?

Fifth ... seriously, they have neither the means, nor the authority, to flag an account for violating the law. Even when the person directly declares they are doing something illegal. One woman (unidentified of course) called to complain that her ex husband had claimed their daughter as a dependant. The reason this upset her? Because she wasn't working and had told her cousin that they could claim the kid as a dependant ... despite the cousin having nothing to do with the kid. Ye gods, you don't get to LOAN OUT your kids as dependents! But even though this woman stupidly admitted the crime? My mom has no way to tell the Enforcement department "listen to this recording and then take a close look at this family's tax filing records". /facepalm

...

All that, and working for what was already low wages and next-to-nothing benefits in 2005.

...

And the IRS is responsible for almost every single penny of money that comes in to the Federal Government. If congress would just get a clue, and pay to update the IRS to 2015, or heck even 2005, technology levels ... efficiency would TRIPLE, even without touching pay or benefits. Employee retention would probably double, too (which is important, because just about noone under 50 is working for them anymore ...).

...

So, yeah. All these "smaller government" types are what my mom always called [bpenny wise and pound foolish[/b]: save five cents today, at the cost of an extra dollar next week.

[jenifermg0]

Well, after almost 8 weeks of "special session" and an expediture of over $1.2 million, Alaska's legislature FINALLY passed a budget!!!!!!!!!!

The workings of the State of Alaksa will not grind to a halt!!

All state employees are extremely relieved and happy. It was going to be a financial nightmare for many. Had the state shut down for even one day, they would have been required by contract to pay out all laid off employee's leave time...and this could have been anywhere from 7.5 hours to 1000+ hours per employee and approximately 10,000 employees received the lay off notices (which have been recinded!!).

Okay....so anyway, thanks for listening!!

[cubfancolleen]

That is indeed great news for all those state employees! I'm sure there were more than a few sighs of relief!