sacbee.com: Schwarzenegger orders minimum wage for state workers

[Predicto]

Strange that it keeps occurring

Interesting strategy by your elected representatives and who you blame for it.

Not strange at all. If you bothered to read the earlier posts, you would know that it is a function of the stupid constitutional 2/3rds requirement to pass a budget.

The script goes like this.

Budget time comes around.

The budget must be passed by a 2/3rds majority.

The Democrats, who have a majority but not a 2/3rds majority, must propose the budget.

The Republicans, who are a minority but more than a 1/3 minority, refuse to agree to it, demanding that no taxes be raised and that all shortfalls must be made with budget cuts. However they refuse to suggest or commit to any specific program cuts.

The GOP members all reside in gerrymandered "safe seats" so they are in no risk of losing their seats at election time and they feel no heat for hurting the State overall. In fact, they will hurt their prospects if they compromise in any way, since all they have to be concerned about is winning their next primary, dominated by conservative voters. There are virtually no moderate GOP members any more, and the conservatives that are left hold fast as a bloc, sometimes for months. They quite literally make a formal agreement each year that none of them will vote for any budget unless a majority of them agree.

Time passes, and the Democrats come under increasing pressure to get a budget passed, because no budget harms the State's credit rating and makes it impossible to perform state functions. Plus, things like nursing homes are not getting paid, which gravely concerns Democratic voters (but not so much the GOP voters).

The state misses the budget deadline. More time passes.

The Democrats evertually are forced to buy off the GOP leadership with concessions completely unrelated to the budget, such as relaxing einvironmental rules or consumer protections. Law changes that the GOP could never get in other ways because they would not pass the Legislature if they were brought up as an ordinary bill.

The budget gets passed two months late, in a form acceptable to the GOP rather than to the majority Democrats, and with extra concessions made to the GOP outside the budget to get them to agree to vote for some budget, any budget, so the state doesn't go down the toilet completely.

If you think I have made this up, ask yourself why Republican Governor Schwartzenegger says that the 2/3 budget requirement has to go.

[Prosperity]

California's incompetence is extremely disconcerting.... At least I'm not moving to Florida.

Some employees, such as doctors and lawyers, would get no pay because federal exempts them from any minimum wage requirement.

wow

[Fergasun]

I'm sorry guys, the complaints are not valid. The budget process gives favor to the minority party. Thus it asks both parties to compromise. The majority party doesn't want to compromise, and then they blame the minority party for not compromising?

[Hubbs]

wow

I'm pretty sure that the only way that's legal is if the doctors and lawyers in question are only partially paid by the state, and receive a good deal of income from other sources.

(Okay, granted, most of my "sureness" comes from my understanding of why tip-heavy professions can be paid something like 25% of minimum wage and from an article I read a couple years back that was about health care reform. But it sounds like it makes sense. )

[techboy]

I'm pretty sure that the only way that's legal is if the doctors and lawyers in question are only partially paid by the state, and receive a good deal of income from other sources.

Well, there's a California state attorney who just a few posts back in this thread stated that he's not going to get paid, so I suspect you might be wrong about that.

[Hubbs]

Well, there's a California state attorney who just a few posts back in this thread stated that he's not going to get paid, so I suspect you might be wrong about that.

Federal law exempts them from a minimum wage requirement. I'm assuming there's a reason.

[twa]

Well, there's a California state attorney who just a few posts back in this thread stated that he's not going to get paid, so I suspect you might be wrong about that.

Not get paid,or not get paid the interim payments if he doesn't accept the offer?

I don't like the situation,but it is the way govt tends to 'negotiate'(which is why I don't do business with them)

[techboy]

Federal law exempts them from a minimum wage requirement. I'm assuming there's a reason.

Perhaps so they can do pro bono work?

[NavyDave]

The lavish lifestyle of public workers is a myth

There is no myth about the pensions of some Public sector types though. And if the peoples republic of Calif is anything like Illinois or Ohio, God help us cough Gaea help us, err Science Help us

http://dailybail.com/home/make-this-story-go-viral-you-thought-california-state-pensio.html

[Predicto]

Well, there's a California state attorney who just a few posts back in this thread stated that he's not going to get paid, so I suspect you might be wrong about that.

Actually, I have no idea what is going to happen to my paycheck yet. I'm in the judicial branch, and things often work differently for us.

I was just venting at the stupidity of it all.

[Hubbs]

Perhaps so they can do pro bono work?

What stopped them from doing that before?

[McD5]

Instead of hurting the good employees, why not just fire 10% of every department, like real businesses have to do these days?

Certainly they can trim 10% of the fat without hurting productivity.

And the pensions have to be adjusted lower. The unions are killing this country.

[Corcaigh]

Instead of hurting the good employees, why not just fire 10% of every department, like real businesses have to do these days?

Certainly they can trim 10% of the fat without hurting productivity.

Across the board wage cuts are idiocy. A 10% cut for a highly compensated employee is not comparable to someone on a lower wage.

And as a real piece of stupidity, it motivates talented employees to find work elsewhere.

And the pensions have to be adjusted lower.

Pensions should be eliminated for government employees. Often people compare wages between public and private sectors and often ignore the fact that some public sector employees have benefits packages (pension, health, tuition reimbursement) of value approaching their salary.

[techboy]

What stopped them from doing that before?

The minimum wage law prevents people from working for less than a certain wage, even if they want to. It's just a guess, but that might be why lawyers are exempted, given that

1. A good lawyer (or even a bad one) doesn't need the protection of a minimum wage law in normal circumstances

and

2. Lawyers are expected to do some work pro bono, which is often free, but is officially defined in some places as working for less than the minimum wage.

I'd imagine that including attorneys in the minimum wage law would cause legal snarls for an attorney that chose to work for a needy individual or organization for free.

[MurrayH81]

Ironic huh?

Has any CEO of any large business ever treated his employees with so much contempt?

Yes, the ones who ran Sprint between 2000 up to the current guy. And they treated their customers in the same way, both of which account for their current problems.

[Hubbs]

The minimum wage law prevents people from working for less than a certain wage, even if they want to. It's just a guess, but that might be why lawyers are exempted, given that

1. A good lawyer (or even a bad one) doesn't need the protection of a minimum wage law in normal circumstances

and

2. Lawyers are expected to do some work pro bono, which is often free, but is officially defined in some places as working for less than the minimum wage.

I'd imagine that including attorneys in the minimum wage law would cause legal snarls for an attorney that chose to work for a needy individual or organization for free.

Right. That's kind of what I've been getting at all along.

[techboy]

Right. That's kind of what I've been getting at all along.

How were you getting at that with this post below?

I'm pretty sure that the only way that's legal is if the doctors and lawyers in question are only partially paid by the state, and receive a good deal of income from other sources.

What other sources of income do you expect an attorney working for the state to have? Do you expect the Prosecutor's office attorneys to be moonlighting doing wills?

[Hubbs]

Pensions should be eliminated for government employees. Often people compare wages between public and private sectors and often ignore the fact that some public sector employees have benefits packages (pension, health, tuition reimbursement) of value approaching their salary.

That means that people are making bad comparisons. It's certainly not a reason to eliminate all government pensions.

(Not that I think pension programs at the federal or state level can be described as anything other than a giant ticking time bomb. But that's not because of the very notion of a pension itself.)

[Hubbs]

How were you getting at that with this post below?

What other sources of income do you expect an attorney working for the state to have? Do you expect the Prosecutor's office attorneys to be moonlighting doing wills?

I was getting at that with the "in question." As in, the doctors and lawyers that will actually be receiving zero pay for an indefinite period of time are either already only partially employed by the state and make enough money elsewhere to be qualified to work for California for free, or will soon be instructed to operate on a certain schedule that will allow them to find that other pay. Minimum wage exemptions aren't catch-all loopholes that would allow California to indefinitely employ lawyers on a full-time basis for eight cents an hour.

[smitity]

So does this mean Arnold and the state lawmakers are going to be paid minimum wage too? That would certainly save alot of cash.

Something tells me their pay will be unaffected, but maybe I'm wrong.

[War Paint]

So does this mean Arnold and the state lawmakers are going to be paid minimum wage too? That would certainly save alot of cash.

Something tells me their pay will be unaffected, but maybe I'm wrong.

I'm sure Arnold doesn't care about his pay as Governor. He's been paid for being the Terminator and such. Plus being married to a Kennedy has it's benefits I'm sure.

[Prosperity]

if lawyers and doctors dont get paid then i hope that the state legislature doesnt either

[DCSaints_fan]

Heh, moving to the Bay Area in August I'm headed right into this mess. Good thing I wont' be working for the state.

[Predicto]

Heh, moving to the Bay Area in August I'm headed right into this mess. Good thing I wont' be working for the state.

Congrats! Welcome to heaven on earth (well, except for the messed-up government part and the housing costs part )

[DCSaints_fan]

Congrats! Welcome to heaven on earth (well, except for the messed-up government part and the housing costs part )

Yeah those are the only two big disadvantages of the area I have forseen. Hopefully the other aspects(weather, culture among others) will more than make up for it! Any recommendations on where to live (or where not to), for a single person who doesn't mind roomates that has to commute to Stanford(working there, not as a student)?