The ruling is based on a 2008 case, when the Governor ordered Controller John Chiang to cut state worker pay to the minimum wage during a budget impasse…and the Controller refused. So they went to court. As the ruling arrives today, the same scenario is playing out again. Yesterday the Governor once more ordered Chiang to reduce state worker pay to 7.25 an hour – and the Controller said no. Lynelle Jolley is with the Department of Personnel Administration. She says without a budget, workers should be ready for the cut:
“Unfortunately for employees it means we have to prepare for the possibility that the legislature will not reach a budget agreement in time for them to receive their full wages.”
But Controller Chiang says it’s physically impossible for the state’s payroll system to make the change this month. He also says the temporary pay cut would violate federal law. Chiang is considering an appeal to the State Supreme Court or a new case in federal court.