21 states force unpaid days off on workers

WASHINGTON, June 30 (UPI) -- Officials in at least 21 states across the United States report more than 728,500 state employees have been, or will be, forced to take unpaid days off.

With state governments collectively facing a $121 billion shortfall in the next fiscal year, more have turned to their workforce to capture the savings, Stateline.org reported.

Some states implemented the furloughs statewide, while other allowed government agencies to implement them as warranted, information from the National Conference of State Legislators indicated.

In Hawaii, some criminal trials likely will have to be rescheduled because public defenders are being furloughed three Fridays a month. In New Jersey, about 5,000 parolees weren't monitored for a day in May and June because their parole officers were forced to stay home. In Georgia, state prosecutors have been forced to take one unpaid day off a month since September, creating a backlog of about 500 criminal cases.

By comparison, at least 54,000 state workers have been laid off so far, tallies by the National Conference of State Legislators and the Association of Federal, State, County and Municipal Employees union indicate.

The furloughs translate to pay cuts for workers, ranging from 0.5 percent in North Carolina to 13.8 percent in Hawaii, NCSL statistics indicated. Employees whose jobs are deemed essential to public health and safety aren't subjected to furloughs.