Judge: Schwarzenegger Furlough Order for Parasitical SEIU Was Illegal

SACRAMENTO, CA - Leaders of one of California's most powerful state workers' union said they were happy with a ruling handed down by an Alameda Superior Court judge Thursday ordering the end to state-mandated furloughs imposed on its union members.

"This is very good news for all those who depend on state services and for the members of our union," Service Employees International Union, Local 1000 vice president Jim Hard said.

In the order issued by Justice Frank Roesch Thursday afternoon, Roesch said the order by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to impose the furloughs was due to the "failure of the Legislature to pass the budgets, though the reach of the orders extended long after those budgets were subsequently passed and signed into law."

The ruling cannot be seen as a total victory for state employees, however.

Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear called the judge's ruling "not a big deal" and said the order was one of several lawsuits being adjudicated over the furlough issue.

"Just like ordinary Californians and businesses, state workers need to cut back and the Governor absolutely has the authority to issue furloughs," McLear said. About two dozen lawsuits have been filed over the furloughs, and the administration has prevailed in the initial stages on some of them.

McLear said the state intended to appeal Thursday's ruling.

While imposing the three furlough days per month for state workers last July, the governor said he instituted the moves due to the lawmakers' inability to reach a deal on budget revisions to close a projected $24.3 billion hole.

While the Legislature came to a belated budget agreement signed by Schwarznegger July 28, a new study from November found the state was still facing up to a $21 billion shortfall by 2011.

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Judge: Schwarzenegger Furlough Order for Parasitical SEIU Was Illegal

Judge: Schwarzenegger Furlough Order for Parasitical SEIU Was Illegal

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