Reducing The Size of Government The Hard Way

Arnold Schwarzenegger is "terminating" jobs.

Reporting from Sacramento -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday ordered mass layoffs and unpaid furloughs for state workers starting in February to address California's growing fiscal crisis.

Under his executive order, 238,000 employees will be forced to take off two unpaid days per month through June 30, 2010. Managers will receive either the furlough or an equivalent salary reduction during the same period.

It's a little ironic that today's layoffs and furloughs are a direct result of California unions' fight against the fiscal discipline that Arnold brought to Sacramento when he arrived in 2003 but summarily backed down from after the defeat of his initiatives in 2005.

Big Labor has only itself to blame.

Flashreport contributor Jill Buck updates us with the response from the SEIU:

Then I turn from the Business Section of the paper to the front page where I encounter the remarks of a spokesman of SEIU, representing 235,000 state employees (whose paychecks come from the same taxpayers who are getting laid off left and right) who will keep their jobs, but have to take some reductions in pay. Here is what SEIU had to say, “ We are reviewing our legal options at this time. We definitely think we have grounds for filing an unfair labor charge.”

Read the great post and comments here.

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