OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Thousands of Washington state employees will have an extended Christmas weekend with an unpaid day off Monday.
State agencies are closed for the Christmas holiday on Friday. More than 50 state agencies and boards and commissions will also be closed Monday. It’s the fifth of 10 furlough days the state has scheduled in the two-year budget to save $60 million through mid-2011. The next one will be Jan. 28.
Public health and safety workers are exempt. Universities, colleges and agencies headed by independently elected officials are staying open by using layoffs or other alternatives to reduce payroll.
