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Gov. won’t cancel furloughs at Ore. State Hospital

The Columbian
Published: August 12, 2010, 12:00am

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Gov. Ted Kulongoski says he’s not going to cancel furlough days for workers at Oregon State Hospital.

Democratic Rep. Carolyn Tomei of Milwaukie asked the governor last month to reconsider the furloughs, saying they don’t make sense because they increase overtime costs for remaining workers and threaten patient safety.

The Statesman Journal reports that Kulongoski responded in a letter this week. The governor says the hospital is hiring new workers to provide patient care and reduce mandatory overtime.

Last year, Kulongoski directed 26,500 state workers to take 10 to 14 furlough days because of Oregon’s budget crisis. The aim of the program, which started in October, was to save $40 million while averting major layoffs.

At Oregon State Hospital, the furloughs increased mandatory overtime costs to more than $321,000 for the moths of April, May and June — compared to $50,000 for those same months last year.

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Information from: Statesman Journal, http://www.statesmanjournal.com

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