The deadline for state worker layoffs may still be a month away, but thousands of "at-risk" notices will begin going out Friday.
Gov. Scott Walker confirmed Thursday that he was moving forward with thousands of notices, a move he said was necessary because of the long-distance filibuster being carried out by 14 Democratic Senators.
"I have no interest in pursuing layoffs unless there is no other choice out there," Walker said, adding that the matter could be solved if the missing senators come home.
The governor has said that as many as 1,500 state workers could lose their jobs if the Legislature does not approve his budget repair bill by April 1. That bill includes cost-saving measures the governor says cuts $30 million from the current budget.
The at-risk notices -- which typically go to many more employees than those who might get pink slips to give managers maximum flexibility -- are a mandatory first step in the layoff process.
"Plus, just to be decent, you have to give people some heads up," Walker said.
The Senate Democrats have been hiding out in Illinois in an attempt to stall passage of the bill. By drawing the process out, they hope to force Walker to strip union-busting language from his proposal.
Earlier this week they provided the governor with options to avoid another looming deadline, this one dealing with restructuring the state's debt. The absent lawmakers said at the time that Walker was just trying to scare them into coming back, a sentiment echoed Thursday.
"I think that is just a pressure move by the governor, but it will not work," said Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison. "Hopefully, those notices are something that can be rescinded when this all works out. I think they can."
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