CODE 64

Bill Cotterell: State workers should keep an eye on Code 64
Bill Cotterell

Just in time for the 2009 legislative session — which, in case you've been mentally suppressing the knowledge, begins tomorrow — the state has come up with a new computer coding for employee time sheets.

It's category 0064 and it's slugged "Furlough — LWOP." That stands for "leave without pay," a category that can cover a lot of things.

LWOP might mean you've used up all your sick leave and annual leave but can't come to work because of an emergency at home. It could be a suspension. Or it might be a mutually agreed-upon recess when, for whatever reason, you need a break.

But in this case, it's a grim sign of the times. You don't want to get sixty-foured.
This is the data-entry code on the time sheet that means they're sending you home to save money, not because they don't need the work done but because they can't afford to pay for it. A lot of companies are furloughing employees in this nationwide economic downturn. If you don't know somebody who's been furloughed yet, you probably know somebody who knows someone who has.

The Wall Street Journal had a story last week about how some companies are using furloughs instead of layoffs, to keep a trained work force at the ready. Lay people off and they're gone for good. Give 52 employees a week off, one at a time, and you save one year's employment cost — in effect, reducing the staff by one position. (That's assuming they all earn the same, which they don't, but you can't get too precise with hypotheticals.)

State tax collections for the current fiscal year are still in free-fall, despite the special session that made yet another $2.4 billion budget fix in January. Legislators expect they'll have to deal with a shortfall of about $5 billion more in the budget year starting July 1.

Gov. Charlie Crist relies on federal economic-stimulus money to keep the lights on, the schools open and the prisoners locked up for now. The optimist-in-chief took heat from fellow Republicans for it, and he probably expects an economic recovery far sooner than most grown-ups.

His budget proposals on Feb. 20 called for no layoffs or furloughs. But they say in Washington that the president proposes and the Congress disposes, and the same is true in Tallahassee. The Legislature will decide what winds up in the budget, and Crist can only line-item veto what it sends him.

The People First team made a few "system enhancements" in January. One of them says:"Create new LWOP Hours Type that can be used if future legislation is passed requiring state employees to use furlough days. The new LWOP Hours Type should only be used if guidance is given by the Department of Management Services, Division of Human Resource Management Policy team."

The first thing most people say about furloughs is, "Well, it's better than layoffs," and that's true. An optimist might think of it as layoffs lite, while a cynic might call it layoff tryouts, management testing to see who is least missed.

You can't blame legislators; well, yes, you can, but it's pointless. Thousands of their constituents are looking for work, and thousands more are worried about their jobs.

A survey of 600 voters, released on Friday by Associated Industries of Florida, showed that 58 percent rated the economy and jobs as the most important issue the state needs to address. AIF found that 66 percent thought we're in a recession and 24 percent would call it a depression — which raises the question, does that mean 10 percent of the people think everything is all right?

"The fact of the matter is, we are in a deep revenue hole, and legislators are going to have to make some tough choices," AIF President Barney Bishop said in announcing the poll results. "The task at hand is to figure out which pocket we as citizens want to pay out of — our left pocket or right — because we are going to have to find a way to meet this shortfall."AIF's survey said 70 percent believe the Legislature should cut spending, while only 24 percent believed new revenues — that is, tax increases — were the answer. And 58 percent of those surveyed said there is still plenty of room to cut the budget.

Plenty of room?

Maybe those folks don't have kids in public schools, or college, or didn't hear Crist say last month that Florida has already cut $7 billion over the last two years. Maybe they missed the news late last year about a newly trained flock of probation officers being switched to correctional-officer jobs in the prisons, which now hold more than 100,000 inmates.

Maybe they're not impressed that Florida ranks dead last in its ratios of state employees to population and its cost of state payroll per capita. Or that there hasn't been a general pay raise since 2006 — and there won't be one this year.

No, legislators will listen to their political instincts, which tell them that rejecting a tax increase is always the path of least resistance, and to their constituents, who are justly worried about keeping their jobs as they see more stores shuttered on Main Street.

Crist deserves credit for his un-Republican support of the work force in a time of great economic malaise. Legislators are likely to be less indulgent, though, especially if the March revenue estimate is as dismal as everyone is expecting.

Oh, well, the state plans for hurricanes and builds prisons, which doesn't mean we want big storms or more crime. We can hope that computer code 64 will remain just a necessary preparation.


Contact Bill Cotterell at (850) 671-6545 or bcotterell@tallahassee.com.

Thank goodness for Bill Cotterell. At least we are exposed to some news.

Bill Cotterell: State workers should keep an eye on Code 64
Bill Cotterell

Just in time for the 2009 legislative session — which, in case you've been mentally suppressing the knowledge, begins tomorrow — the state has come up with a new computer coding for employee time sheets.

It's category 0064 and it's slugged "Furlough — LWOP." That stands for "leave without pay," a category that can cover a lot of things.

LWOP might mean you've used up all your sick leave and annual leave but can't come to work because of an emergency at home. It could be a suspension. Or it might be a mutually agreed-upon recess when, for whatever reason, you need a break.

But in this case, it's a grim sign of the times. You don't want to get sixty-foured.
This is the data-entry code on the time sheet that means they're sending you home to save money, not because they don't need the work done but because they can't afford to pay for it. A lot of companies are furloughing employees in this nationwide economic downturn. If you don't know somebody who's been furloughed yet, you probably know somebody who knows someone who has.

The Wall Street Journal had a story last week about how some companies are using furloughs instead of layoffs, to keep a trained work force at the ready. Lay people off and they're gone for good. Give 52 employees a week off, one at a time, and you save one year's employment cost — in effect, reducing the staff by one position. (That's assuming they all earn the same, which they don't, but you can't get too precise with hypotheticals.)

State tax collections for the current fiscal year are still in free-fall, despite the special session that made yet another $2.4 billion budget fix in January. Legislators expect they'll have to deal with a shortfall of about $5 billion more in the budget year starting July 1.

Gov. Charlie Crist relies on federal economic-stimulus money to keep the lights on, the schools open and the prisoners locked up for now. The optimist-in-chief took heat from fellow Republicans for it, and he probably expects an economic recovery far sooner than most grown-ups.

His budget proposals on Feb. 20 called for no layoffs or furloughs. But they say in Washington that the president proposes and the Congress disposes, and the same is true in Tallahassee. The Legislature will decide what winds up in the budget, and Crist can only line-item veto what it sends him.

The People First team made a few "system enhancements" in January. One of them says:"Create new LWOP Hours Type that can be used if future legislation is passed requiring state employees to use furlough days. The new LWOP Hours Type should only be used if guidance is given by the Department of Management Services, Division of Human Resource Management Policy team."

The first thing most people say about furloughs is, "Well, it's better than layoffs," and that's true. An optimist might think of it as layoffs lite, while a cynic might call it layoff tryouts, management testing to see who is least missed.

You can't blame legislators; well, yes, you can, but it's pointless. Thousands of their constituents are looking for work, and thousands more are worried about their jobs.

A survey of 600 voters, released on Friday by Associated Industries of Florida, showed that 58 percent rated the economy and jobs as the most important issue the state needs to address. AIF found that 66 percent thought we're in a recession and 24 percent would call it a depression — which raises the question, does that mean 10 percent of the people think everything is all right?

"The fact of the matter is, we are in a deep revenue hole, and legislators are going to have to make some tough choices," AIF President Barney Bishop said in announcing the poll results. "The task at hand is to figure out which pocket we as citizens want to pay out of — our left pocket or right — because we are going to have to find a way to meet this shortfall."AIF's survey said 70 percent believe the Legislature should cut spending, while only 24 percent believed new revenues — that is, tax increases — were the answer. And 58 percent of those surveyed said there is still plenty of room to cut the budget.

Plenty of room?

Maybe those folks don't have kids in public schools, or college, or didn't hear Crist say last month that Florida has already cut $7 billion over the last two years. Maybe they missed the news late last year about a newly trained flock of probation officers being switched to correctional-officer jobs in the prisons, which now hold more than 100,000 inmates.

Maybe they're not impressed that Florida ranks dead last in its ratios of state employees to population and its cost of state payroll per capita. Or that there hasn't been a general pay raise since 2006 — and there won't be one this year.
No, legislators will listen to their political instincts, which tell them that rejecting a tax increase is always the path of least resistance, and to their constituents, who are justly worried about keeping their jobs as they see more stores shuttered on Main Street.

Crist deserves credit for his un-Republican support of the work force in a time of great economic malaise. Legislators are likely to be less indulgent, though, especially if the March revenue estimate is as dismal as everyone is expecting.
Oh, well, the state plans for hurricanes and builds prisons, which doesn't mean we want big storms or more crime. We can hope that computer code 64 will remain just a necessary preparation.


Contact Bill Cotterell at (850) 671-6545 or bcotterell@tallahassee.com.

Radio: All units on all frequencies, standby. Alpha is in pursuit of a Code 64.
Alpha: Radio, we don't pursue but we will issue an official notice of violation.
Radio: 10-23 Alpha, let me check with a DOS.
Alpha: What does the Department of State have to do with this?
Radio: 10-22 Alpha.
Alpha: 10-22, 10-23, 10-24. It's all the same to me. I'll be out with the Code 64.

The famous and savior Obama has signed a stimulus package, Florida is going to get 12 Billion over 3 years. If we had a 2 Billion dollar shortfall, the 4 Billion a year should give us a 2 Billion dollar surplus... WTF ?

You must be using "new math" There is a projected 5 BILLION dollar shortfall. The legislature isn't going to use free federal money to make sure we have a job after July 1st. Plan to be unemployed or to have your pay reduced or to have the cost of benefits increased or to be "code 64 'ed"

Facing a grinding recession and the worst budget crisis in nearly a decade, Republican leaders in the House and Senate convened a 60-day session Tuesday on a somber note.


Senate President Jeff Atwater of North Palm Beach warned that with a potentially $5 billion budget shortfall next year all spending will be put under a microscope.

"If it doesn't house, teach, feed, protect, heal or create a job for a Floridian, this is the time to end it," Atwater said.


House Speaker Larry Cretul of Ocala said the schedule remains stalled as his top deputies study the details of Florida's $12.2 billion share of a federal stimulus package and wait for an official forecast of state revenues on March 13, when more bad news is expected.

Cretul said the uncertainty means lawmakers may still be trying to deal with a $700 million shortfall in the current-year budget at the same time they roll out a preliminary budget for next year, probably before the Easter-Passover break. He warned there will be late nights.


"The state of the state is that we need to be concerned," Cretul said. "And we need to be braced for some unpopular decisions."
Conservatives in both chambers remain wary of Gov. Charlie Crist's plan to use the stimulus money as a "bridge" to economic recovery, saying they don't want to pay for continuing programs with money that goes away in three years.


Atwater vowed to protect classrooms from more cuts, but Cretul wouldn't go that far.


"I think we can agree on the general premise and the idea," he said, but he wanted to see the details.


Beleaguered homeowners in Southwest Florida, suffering one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation, are feeling the sting, said Rep. Gary Aubuchon, R-Cape Coral.


"I think Speaker Cretul set the appropriate tone and understands the seriousness of the problems," Aubuchon said.

--Jim Ash

Stephen Price and Bill Cotterell contributed

Maybe they should start playing the powerball

Good idea. The odds of us (state employees) coming out ok and the odds of winning are about the same.