Monday, November 16, 2009

Budget Cuts Force DEP To Layoff 5 Percent Of Workforce

The Rendell Administration this afternoon announced layoff notices were sent today to 319 state employees as a result of the budget cuts included in the 2009-10 budget.
The Department of Environmental Protection sustained 43 percent of these layoffs and will furlough 138 employees-- 5 percent of its workforce. In addition, DEP eliminated 120 vacant positions bringing the total affected positions to 258. The full programatic impact of the furloughs will not be known until Civil Service "bumping" rights are implemented by those being laid off.
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will furlough 9 employees and the Department of Agriculture will layoff 8.
For DCNR, the total impact of the layoffs were to:
Eliminate 66 unfilled salaried positions that had been subject to the hiring freeze-- 23 in State Parks, 24 in Forestry, 19 in General Government Operations
Wage staff reductions: Seasonal wage staff cut by 240 employees over the past year, Shortened the work season by several months this fall for an additional 891 seasonal employees, 700 in Parks and 191 in Forestry.
Furlough a total of 9 full-time employees-- 2 from State Parks, 5 from Forestry, 2 from General Government Operations
Gov. Rendell has ordered the use of DCNR's Oil and Gas Fund to keep all 117 State Parks open, but it will also mean reduced service levels-- shorten swimming season at pools, beaches, early closings of campgrounds, more selective snow removal, mowing, reduce environmental education, interpretive and recreational programming and teacher training.
Defer maintenance on state forest roads; potentially closing those roads as conditions warrant.
Eliminate program that raises/sells native seedlings to private forest landowners.
Eliminate gypsy moth spraying, curtail the surveillance of other forest pests.
The complete press release and a table of layoffs is available online.

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