Stateline Headlines

NFL Can’t Ask About Sexual Orientation, Says New York Attorney General

The NFL is in hot water with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman after reportedly asking potential college recruits about their sexual orientation. But less than half the states protect employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Next Wave of State Minimum Wage Proposals Would ‘Index’ To Inflation

Nineteen states and D.C. already offer an hourly wage higher than the current federal $7.25 rate, and that could go even higher as several states weigh increases.

State and Local Government Employment Trends

State and local governments have shed 681,000 jobs since their peak in August 2008, by far the steepest drop of any recession in the last 50 years.

Union Membership Continues Steady Decline in 2012

Union membership decreased nationally in 2012, including in traditional union strongholds.

Election Year Brings Big Changes in State Policy

From battles in the legislatures to battles at the polls, Stateline reporters traveled all over the country in 2012 reporting on news from the states.

New Year Will Bring Higher Minimum Wages in 10 States

Nine states will adjust the wages to accommodate the rising costs of living, as required by state laws, while Rhode Island will implement a law signed by the governor in June. The wage hikes range between 10 and 35 cents per hour.

Report: States Face Growing Cybersecurity Threats

State governments are struggling to ward off millions of increasingly complex threats to the security of their technological systems each week, according to a new report about cybersecurity in the states from Deloitte and the National Association of State Chief Information Officers.

Infographic: Ballot Measures Gave Voters Say on Divisive Issues

Voters in 38 states will decide 174 statewide ballot measures on Election Day. Are any on your ballot?

GOP Targets State Construction Labor Projects

Nearly a dozen Republican governors have already made good on a promise that the GOP laid out as a national priority in Tampa last month: to end a policy that businesses say gives labor unions an unfair advantage when bidding on state construction projects.

All Eyes on U.S. Supreme Court

States await key decisions this week from the U.S. Supreme Court on health care, immigration and elections.

Post-Recall Wisconsin Open for Business, Governor Says

The recent recall election in Wisconsin that let Governor Scott Walker keep his job was apparently also good for businesses in the state, or so says the governor.

Civil Service Changes Gain a Foothold

Three states have made major changes to the personnel policies that govern the public workforce.

Public-Sector Issues Erupt in Presidential Campaign

President Obama and GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney both found themselves over the weekend explaining comments they made involving the public sector.

Walker Win in Wisconsin Tops Historic Primary Day

In one of the busiest election days of 2012 and one of the most historic, voters in Wisconsin decided not to recall their Republican governor who set off a national debate by curtailing collective bargaining rights for state public employees. Voters in six other states also went to the polls.

Federal Overtime Rules: New Headaches for States

Workers and employers arent the only ones scratching their heads over new federal workplace overtime rules. The new overtime rules are causing confusion in states and rancor on the campaign trail and on Capitol Hill. The U.S. House of Representatives voted Sept. 9 to block the new rules, but observers dont expect the action to hold up to stiff GOP opposition and a White House veto threat. The outcome of the November elections could well determine whether the new federal requirements stand and whether states that have their own overtime rules decide to keep them.

Study: Health Costs for Workers Rising

Health insurance premiums for workers in 35 states have risen at least three times faster than average earnings, according to a new report released by a liberal consumer group. The report includes state-by-state data.

New Year Rings in Many New State Laws

New state laws that go into effect on Jan. 1 will mean fatter paychecks for minimum wage workers in five states. But some rowdy sports fans had better beware, and skateboarding kids in New York will have to don helmets.

Contracting Out IT Jobs Vexes States

States are wrestling over whether they should contract out or "outsource" their information technology projects to private companies, including those located overseas. While farming out state high-tech work may be cheaper and more efficient, state politicians are leery of the possible voter backlash about losing state jobs to foreign companies, industry and government officials said.

State Programs Offer Alternative to Layoffs

Nineteen states have tailored their labor laws to allow employers to cushion the impact of economic slowdowns on their workers. These so-called work share programs are helping to ease the pain of layoffs.

Momentum For Paid Family Leave Grows

October 21 - From Vermont to Hawaii, states are hopping on the paid family leave bandwagon, with California leading the way. The Golden State in September created a sweeping new program that will pay workers half their salaries when they take time off to care for sick family members or newborns.

Welfare Leavers Find Jobs But Not Benefits, Study Finds

Since the launch of welfare reform, critics have complained that the sole focus of the program is to decrease the number of people on public assistance, but that no one has been tracking what happens to them afterwards. Researchers in Washington State want to change that, and have just released the first year results of a study that will track the experiences of 3,000 welfare-to-work families over five years.

Living Wage Issue Causes Battles in States

Ethiopian immigrants Temesgen Hagos and Makonen Habtemarian brought their families to the United States more than eight years ago hoping to free them of the poverty and political turmoil they had endured all their lives. But after arriving in this country, they found the shadow of poverty was still with them. Thanks to a "liveable wage" ordinance passed last year in the community in which they live, both men's financial situation has improved dramatically. But a heated debate about such measures rages in many states.

South, West Lead Nation In Public Service Hiring

In the South and West, state and local government filled 270,000 new positions last year, eighty percent of the total non-federal public service hiring and a number that shows how these regions are growing. Overall 1998 state and local hiring also continued to expand, according to a new study by the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government.

Alaska Household Income Tops, Census Bureau Says

Median household incomes have shot up four years in a row, making 1998 the year with the highest income levels ever recorded, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In newly-released reports, it said Alaska had the highest 1998 median household income, $49,717. New Jersey came in second with $49,297, followed by Maryland with $48,714; Washington State with $46,339 and Connecticut with $45,589. The number of people living below the poverty level dropped to 12.7 percent in 1998, down from 13.3 percent in 1997. New Mexico had the sharpest decline in poverty, followed by Virginia, while North Dakota showed an increase of 2.1 percent.

States Lead Way on Minimum Wage Hikes

Click image to enlarge Nearly one-half of Americans now live in states that require wages higher than the $5.15 an hour set by Congress nine years ago And the trend of states raising their minimum wages in the face of federal inaction shows no sign of fading.

Western Governors Back Bush Guest-Worker Plan

Fourteen Western governors threw their political weight behind President Bush on the issue of immigration Tuesday (Feb. 28), formally endorsing reforms including a guest-worker program that would allow thousands more immigrants to receive visas each year. The governors' resolution comes as Congress considers dramatically conflicting versions of immigration reform.

Job Benefits for Gay Partners Targeted

A second front in the battle over same-sex marriage is opening over whether public employers should offer spousal benefits, such as health coverage or family leave, to partners of gay workers. Wisconsin and Alaska are among a handful of states where courts and legislatures are wrestling with whether to go beyond banning same-sex marriage and also bar employee partnership benefits.

States Silence Musical Copycats

Platters pretenders and conning Coasters beware -- states are cracking down on copycat musical groups who steal gigs from authentic artists and cheat fans. Five states have laws requiring that performing groups include at least one original member in order to use a group's name in advertisements or performances, and more states are considering following suit.

Wages, Property Rights on '06 Ballots

Democrats in 2006 hope to use ballot initiatives to boost the minimum wage in the same way Republicans used gay marriage bans in 2004 -- to draw like-minded voters to the polls. Minimum wage and gay marriage are among more than 100 ballot measures in 25 states, along with abortion, immigration and stem cell research. But shaping up as the sleeper issue of 2006 -- on the ballot in at least 10 states -- is a backlash against government's powers of eminent domain.

States Ranked on Pocketbook Issues

Texans are more likely than citizens in any other state to be living without health insurance. Women in Wyoming have the least earning power compared to men, and more Mississippians on average live in poverty than anywhere in the country.Those developments are part of a snapshot of Americans' economic situation released by the Census Bureau Aug. 29.

Congress, States Pledge Wage Hikes

In the wake of overwhelming voter approval of minimum wage initiatives in six states on Election Day, politicians in at least three more states - Illinois, Iowa and New Mexico -- have vowed to raise wages as soon as their legislative sessions open. But the new Democratic congressional leadership also has announced plans to raise workers' pay in its first 100 days, a move that could take the wind out of state efforts to boost wages.

Pensions Pose Time Bombs for Budgets

The looming retirement of baby boomers in the state government work force is prompting fears that pension payouts will bust state budgets. Experts say states, cities and counties are short $292.4 billion in money promised through their public retirement systems, spurring efforts from Alaska to Massachusetts to reform their public pension plans.

GOP Warns States: Get Fiscal Houses in Order

As U.S. markets continue to react to Europe’s economic turmoil, some Republican members of Congress wonder if similar debts and the resulting chaos could happen in certain states.

2006 Is Year of Surpluses, Social Issues

State legislatures broke new ground in 2006 with a historic health care initiative in Massachusetts, a sweeping measure in California to combat global warming, and a strict abortion ban in South Dakota. The year also will be remembered for budget surpluses that let states splurge on projects as unconventional as a spaceport in New Mexico. Two of the most popular policies were hikes in the minimum wage, passed by 11 states, and self-defense laws allowing greater use of deadly force, adopted by 14 states, an exclusive Stateline.org survey shows.

State Workers: Thank God It's Thursday

(Updated 1:45 p.m. EDT, June 30, 2008)In the face of $4-a-gallon gasoline, Utah is imposing four-day workweeks for most of its state employees in a newly invigorated trend at the state and local level to combat record-high energy costs.

State Workers Face Bleak Budget Picture

(Updated 11:40 a.m. EST, Oct. 3, 2008)The economic downturn has hit states hard, and among those feeling the effects are state employees, whose salaries are being frozen, who are retiring before they wanted to, who are being asked to take furloughs, or unpaid days off, and who, in an estimated 7,000 cases, have been laid off.

Minimum-Wage Hikes Sweep States

Voters in a record number of states will decide Nov. 7 whether to hike the minimum wage, continuing an unprecedented two-year trend of state action on an issue that remains bottled up in Congress. In the past two years, more states have raised their minimum-wage rates than in the 68-year-history of the federal minimum wage law. Political analysts on both sides of the issue agree that recent fervor for the issue is as much related to politics as it is to policy. function popup() { javascript:mywindow=window.open('http://www.stateline.org/live/digitalAssets/3398_min_wage.html','mywindow','width=445,height=520,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=no,status=no,toolbar=no,resizable=no');mywindow.focus();screen_height = window.screen.availHeight; screen_width = window.screen.availWidth; left_point = parseInt(screen_width/2)-(370/2); top_point = parseInt(screen_height/2)-(430/2); setTimeout('mywindow.moveTo(left_point,top_point)',100);void(0); }

Property Rights a Popular Question on Ballots

A new feature on Stateline.org's interactive 2006 Elections Guide shows that property rights is the hottest new topic on state ballots, cropping up in 13 states, while Arizona outnumbers any of the 36 states to feature ballot measures Nov. 7. The new database is the most comprehensive list to date of the social, tax and reform proposals spicing up state election slates this fall. See a summary of every statewide ballot measure, with a link to the official text.

States Outpace Feds on Minimum Wage

When the new federal minimum wage takes effect July 24, 30 states will require employers to pay hourly workers more than federal law requires.

Economic Crisis — State perspective

Unemployment hits double digits in Michigan. Several states seeing surging Medicaid rolls. A cost-cutting experiment in Utah fails to deliver expected results. Click here for today's perspective on how the economic crisis is affecting states.

States Shave Workforce to Save Money

State employees, once thought to have one of the most secure jobs with the best benefits, are increasingly worried as the recession deepens and states look to trim their salaries to balance their budgets.

Tracking the Recession: Who Really Decides Whether to Take Unemployment Money

While some Republican governors are making headlines by threatening to turn down economic stimulus money aimed at enticing states to expand unemployment benefits to more low-income workers, the decision is not up to them. It's a decision for state legislatures, and some are expected to say, "No thanks."

Tracking the Recession: Car Dealer Closings Will Add to State Budget Woes

The decline of the U.S. auto industry is draining revenue from state governments and increasing spending on services.

Despite Stimulus, Schools Feel Budget Pain

The economic stimulus will help public schools and colleges survive the recession over the next two years. But in some states the fiscal situation is so precarious that schools are still going to suffer large cuts.

Weekly Wrap: Sales Tax Fight Splits GOP in Arizona

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) sues her own party over the budget. The U.S. labor department releases May unemployment data, and Illinois says it can't afford to pay for indigent burials. For a quick update on the top recession news in the states, read Stateline.org's "Weekly wrap."

Weekly Wrap: Feds Release Long-Awaited Stimulus job guidelines

The Obama administration tells state officials to take "a simple headcount" of jobs saved or created by the stimulus program. Meanwhile, the demand for some special jobs is soaring. Officials also warn states not to shortchange education when balancing budgets.

Minimum Wages to Rise in 31 States

Friday's minimum wage hike - the last in a series of three - will boost the wage floor from $6.55 an hour to $7.25 an hour.

Budget Cuts Drive DMV Changes

Drivers going to the department of motor vehicles will likely face longer lines and higher service fees in several states as recession-ravaged budgets force the shutdown of branch offices, a reduced work force and the need to raise revenue.

Weekly Wrap: Louisiana Pleasantly Surprised by Haul From Tax Amnesty Program

More than $300 million is generated from delinquent Louisiana taxpayers; California finance chief hangs it up; Iowa Gov. Culver campaigns as problem solver; and stimulus Web site turns up boo-boos.

Labor Flexing Its Muscle in States

TODAY'S TAKE: State jobs have been a common target for governors and lawmakers seeking budget reductions. But labor unions in many states are fighting back, sometimes winning court decisions and political concessions to stave off cuts.

'Jobs Summit' on Tap at White House

TODAY'S TAKE: President Obama will convene a "jobs summit" at the White House on Thursday (Dec. 3), but talk of a second stimulus package is likely to be muted by the federal budget deficit, as well as next year's midterm congressional elections.

States Await Obama Jobs Plan

TODAY'S TAKE: State officials are eagerly awaiting a federal job-creation initiative to be outlined by President Obama today (Dec. 8). They hope it will include extended unemployment benefits, infrastructure money and other aid for their battered states.

Governors in D.C. for Annual Meeting

TODAY'S TAKE: Dozens of governors arrive in Washington, D.C., this weekend for several days of meetings, including with President Obama. The economy will top their agenda, though labor relations and health care are likely to come up.

Summer Jobs Programs Get Private Fund Infusion

SOCIAL POLICY BEAT: States and cities may not have money to fund summer job programs, but the country's largest employer does. Walmart has committed $25 million on youth programs this summer.

States may outsource economic development

MANAGEMENT BEAT: Privatization plans unfold in Iowa, Ohio and Wisconsin ... Governor Kasich reconsiders leasing the Ohio Turnpike ... Governor Haley takes a combative stance with South Carolina unions, and other management news from the states.

Governors Set the Agenda For a Lean 2011

In yet another tough budget year, the nation's governors are generally setting a course for contracting the ambitions and role of state government.

Unions Adapt to New Rules, Even as They Fight to Reverse Them

PART FOUR OF FIVE: The most controversial state issue of 2011 — the fight over collective bargaining and other rights for public-sector employees — isn’t going away in 2012.

After a Contentious Political Year, Republicans May Moderate Their Approach

PART ONE OF FIVE: With the 2012 election drawing near, Republican leaders in much of the country are sounding less combative on the legislative front than they did in 2011.

Short-Staffed and Budget-Bare, Overwhelmed State Agencies Are Unable to Keep Up

PART ONE OF THREE: States across the country are seeing growing backlogs of work, as shrinking staffs struggle to meet rising demand for some services. From public housing to crime labs, restaurant inspections to court systems, four years of layoffs, furloughs and hiring freezes are beginning to take a toll.

Gallup Poll Shows Drop in Public Employment

MANAGEMENT BEAT: Federal, state and local government employment dropped in 2011 as a percentage of overall U.S. employment. State-by-state tallies don't break down along partisan or ideological lines.

State Minimum Wage Rates to Go Up With Inflation in 2012

SOCIAL POLICY BEAT: Minimum wage workers will see a bump in their paychecks in 10 states that tie annual increases in their state wages to increases in the cost of living.

In an Era of One-Party Rule, Republicans Pass a Sweeping State Agenda

Republicans held enormous political leverage in state legislatures this year. They used it to shrink spending, take on labor unions and push long-stalled social legislation in one of the most eventful legislative years in memory.Part one of a weeklong series.

Anti-Union Republicans Seize Their Moment

Republicans long accustomed to fighting against public-sector labor unions finally achieved power in states where they had been in the minority for years. And they made the unions pay for it.Last in a weeklong series

Governors, Unions Brace for Battle

While union membership continues to shrink in the private sector and overall, a greater percentage of state and local government workers remains in unions. But some incoming governors are moving toward curbing union powers that one says "tilt too far in favor of public employees."

DROP Pensions: A Sound Investment or a Waste of Taxpayer Money?

In the 1990s, some states began promising lump sum retirement checks to employees they wanted to keep. Some have decided it's a practice they can no longer afford.

Where Labor is Weak, State Workers Face Huge Cutbacks

As the nation debates collective bargaining in Wisconsin, public workers in Alabama, Texas and many other states are fighting over massive pay cuts, huge increases in health premiums and basic civil service protections.

Alabama Ethics Law Angers Teachers Union

TRANSITION WATCH: Alabama Republicans restrict payroll deductions used to boost a leading teachers' group, Wisconsin Democrats' last gasp at contracts for public workers fails and more news of the historic shift in power in the states.

On the Ballot in Alaska: Transparency

After seeing money flow in unusual ways through a pair of controversial campaigns, Alaska has made some changes to its ballot initiative process. Also: Stateline's updated guide to what's on state ballots in 2010.

S.D. Abortion Ban, Ariz. Gay Marriage Ban Fail

(Updated 4:19 p.m. EST, Thursday)Arizona became the first state to reject a ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage, while South Dakota voters refused to make their state a test case in the fight to outlaw abortion. The 2006 election featured 205 ballot measures in 37 states, many focused on social issues -- from stem cell research in Missouri to a repeal of affirmative action in Michigan.

Doing Union Work on the Government Clock?

MANAGEMENT BEAT: Arizona debates banning localities from allowing government employees to work for their unions during normal business hours.

Minimum Wage Set to Rise in Eight States

TODAY'S TAKE: Workers in eight states will see slightly larger paychecks beginning January 1, thanks to laws requiring minimum wages to rise with inflation.

In New Year, Seven States to Hike Minimum Wage

Nine to twelve cents isn't a lot, but those small, automatically triggered increases in the minimum wage will provide a modest New Year's present for workers in a minority of states that automatically increase their minimum wage levels at the start of every year.

States Push to Shake Up Personnel Practices

Civil service rules that haven't changed in decades are being re-assessed by several governors bent on major changes in the system.

Govs Feel the Weight of Wielding Budget Ax

TODAY'S TAKE: Even for governors sounding the alarm about unbalanced budgets, the act of getting their states back in the black is easier said than done.

States to Try Outsourcing Economic Development

Which works best - a government-run business promotion agency or a private one? We're about to learn some lessons.

California Overhauls Workers' Compensation

A new law in California is expected to reduce costs to employers while increasing payouts to some workers injured on the job.

Nursing Profession Isn't Diverse Enough, Study Finds

As troubling as the nursing shortage is for the country, experts say the profession also has another problem -- it isn't diverse enough. According to researchers at the University of California's Center for the Health Professions, nursing seriously lags in reflecting racial differences of the patients being served..

Mega-Stores Hitting Political Flak In Several States

Preventing mega-stores such as Wal-Mart and Costco from chewing up competitors is on the agenda of more than just anti-growth groups and environmentalists these days. Policy makers in states and communities are considering restricting so-called "big-box" stores. California Gov. Gray Davis last week vetoed a bill aimed at limiting the growth of these stores. The issue has also been joined in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Vermont and Wisconsin.

Inmates Gladly Take on Odd Jobs for Low or No Pay

Gone are the days of the chain gang. Today, states are finding more creative uses for felons, from saving retired thoroughbreds in Kentucky to growing poinsettias for state buildings in Iowa to fighting mudslides in California. The work saves millions for states and gives inmates something worthwhile to do.

Sick Leave Tops State Labor Agendas

Now that a majority of states have boosted wages above the federal minimum, lawmakers in at least seven states want to guarantee workers paid sick days. Buoyed by overwhelming approval of a San Francisco ballot initiative that would allow workers at least nine sick days per year, lawmakers in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Vermont, Maine, Montana, Michigan and Maryland are expected to propose similar measures.

Weekly Wrap: California Faces July 1 Deadline

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) vows to let government operations come to a "grinding halt" if state lawmakers don't plug a $24 billion budget gap by July 1. As Detroit automakers GM and Chrysler deal with bankruptcy, Michigan announces the six dates that state government offices will close this summer to save money. For a quick update on the top recession news in the states, read Stateline.org's "Weekly wrap."

Furloughs Cut Into State Services

With states facing a $121 billion shortfall in the next fiscal year, a growing number of them have turned to squeezing their workforce for savings, and effects both great and small will be felt.

A Bill of Rights for State Workers?

California lawmakers are debating whether to enshrine a list of protections for state workers in state law. Some believe state employee unions already have more than enough power.

Thank God It's Furlough Friday?

TODAY'S TAKE: Today (April 2) is another Furlough Friday in California and New Mexico - two states that are employing a common cost-cutting strategy by having their workers take regular, unpaid days off. As The Wall Street Journal reports, it's not a bad deal for some state workers, either, as they're spending more time with their families and finding that businesses are targeting them for special offers.

After Court Ruling, California's Furlough Fridays Are Back

TODAY'S TAKE: Fifty days into yet another budget standoff in Sacramento, some of the familiar signs of California's fiscal crisis are on their way back. Today (Aug. 20) marks the return of Furlough Fridays.

California Looks to Current Workers' Pensions for Savings

MANAGEMENT BEAT: Pension commission argues for tough choices in California … Republican governors back off opposition to collective bargaining … No more "SWAG" in California, and other government management news.

Why Layoff Notices From States Are More Common Than Layoffs

MANAGEMENT BEAT: The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is in the process of issuing 26,000 layoff notices. But far fewer workers are likely to actually lose their jobs.

California Workers Choose Pensions Over Furloughs

MANAGEMENT BEAT: California workers retire in droves … Senate Republicans in Ohio tackle labor unions … New Jersey cracks down on lame-duck promotions, and other government management news.

Costa Mesa's Pink Slip Spending Plan

MANAGEMENT BEAT: A California city lays off nearly half of its workers … Illinois considers taking away bargaining rights for managers ... New Hampshire employers may gain new leverage, and other management and labor news.

Slowdown on the Public-Private Express

Just a few years ago, there was a rage for public-private highway projects. They're still being done, but on a much smaller scale.

California Republicans Riled by Brown's Union Deals

MANAGEMENT BEAT: Limitless payouts for unused vacation time in California … A crackdown on using union dues to purchase magazine subscriptions … A comprehensive audit of Missouri state government, and other management news.

Will California Legislators Continue Getting Paychecks?

MANAGEMENT BEAT: Was the budget that the California Legislature passed last week - the one that Governor Jerry Brown immediately vetoed - truly "balanced"? The answer may determine whether lawmakers get paid or not.

A fixer's tale of attempted bribes

Governors Promote Employment for People With Disabilities

A yearlong initiative at the National Governors Association examines the roles that states and businesses can play in finding jobs for people with disabilities.

Connecticut Governor Seeks to Avoid Public Employee Layoffs

MANAGEMENT BEAT: The struggle over public employee concessions in Connecticut ... the prospect of salary cuts in Pennsylvania ... arguments about a pro-worker mural in Maine, and other government management news.

On Second Try, Connecticut Unions Ratify Contracts

MANAGEMENT BEAT: State workers avert 5,500 layoffs by agreeing to a wage freeze and major changes to retirement and health care benefits.

Connecticut's Pro-Worker Measures Leave Business Feeling Resentful

HARTFORD - Last year, Democrats in Connecticut required private companies to give paid sick days to thousands of mostly low-wage employees. This year, they are considering raising the minimum wage from $8.25 to $9.75 an hour. Business interests are crying foul.

Labor Scuffles Continue in New York and Connecticut

MANAGEMENT BEAT: Most of the Connecticut employees laid off as a result of a battle over contract concessions this summer have since been rehired. Meanwhile, New York sent 3,500 workers layoff notices after rank-and-file members of a large union rejected an agreement last week.

Pink Slips Go Out to 4,743 Connecticut Workers

MANAGEMENT BEAT: Malloy makes a final push for union concessions … Washington debates privatization of back-office functions … A pension compromise in Kansas, and other management news.

Connecticut Unions Seek to Avert Widespread Layoffs

MANAGEMENT BEAT: Rank-and-file state employees in Connecticut unexpectedly turned down new contracts in June, rejecting an agreement between union leaders and Governor Dannel Malloy. Now a high-stakes re-vote will determine the fate of 6,500 positions.