Davidson County judge blocks Gov. Bill Haslam's plan to lay off state workers

[reflection]

Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press

NASHVILLE — Gov. Bill Haslam's plan to lay off more than 200 state workers this month struck a pothole late Monday afternoon when a Davidson County judge issued a temporary restraining order after state employees filed suit.

The suit charges top state officials violated provisions in law surrounding a 60-day notice for affected employees.

...

While the state provided the notices throughout April, officials did not comply with a section that says soon-to-be-fired employees be given "career counseling, job testing, and placement efforts," the suit says.

That's because the state's Department of Human Resources on May 9 took down the agency's Neogov online service that employees must use to find job openings and apply for them, according to state employees.

Read more: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/jun/11/judge-blocks-state-layoffs/?local

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Haslam is proving to be a scumbag of the highest order. His personnel director says that officials took down the site to make long-planned "adjustments." How convenient to do it at a time when you are laying off 200 state workers and outsourcing their duties to a Chicago-based firm.

Of course, the right-wingers around here are frothing at the mouth that the judge has issued a temporary restraining order, because god forbid they make sure the workers' rights are not being infringed upon. We must fire them now! Everyone knows government workers are evil parasitic bastards!

[atreides1]

1. But you know what

I'm willing to bet that some of those very same workers voted for the scumbag and his minions in the state legislature as well.

Makes you wonder if they'll accept at least partial responsibility for their current situation...probably not!

[reflection]

2. I'd go with 'most' instead of 'some'.

The people here are remarkably adept at voting against their interests. And they would crawl over broken glass to defend the rich, because they are Teh Job Creators™.

[southernyankeebelle]

4. I live in Tn and I never ever ever would vote for a republican. Voting for a republican is voting

against my financial interests. But your right. Many did vote for this loser.

[obama2terms]

5. My father voted for him

Just because he thinks Haslam is a nice guy and he usually votes democrat. Well I guess he doesn't get, someone can have different political views than you and still be nice!

[southernyankeebelle]

6. well he might be a nice guy but dems need to open their eyes. we are way to trusting when someone

talks sweat and smiles. He and his family are snakes.

[obama2terms]

13. Well compared to the wackadoo republicans in my state

He's nothing. ( We have Stacey Campfield remember?) He's pretty moderate compared to most republicans these days, still I wouldn't have voted for him. Yeah you got that right, his son got into some trouble recently ( rebate fraud I think) and one morning I was taking my nephew to school and his school starts at 7 so it had to be before then. We saw Bill Haslam driving around alone, early in the morning, probably talking to someone about how to deal with the whole thing, and I guess he didn't want to be seen. According to my mom, he lives nowhere near the area we were in. Pretty weird right?

[southernyankeebelle]

14. Well I live in Tn but I tell you we do have some idiots here don't we.

[obama2terms]

15. That we do

[southernyankeebelle]

16. Sometimes I find myself whispering where I live because of the crazies we have.

[sdfernando]

3. Maybe some digging is in order here.

I'll bet dollars to donuts that either the Governor or someone high up in his administration has some sort of "connection" to this Chicago based firm.

[reflection]

12. You NAILED it.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/jun/11/haslam-investments-raise-questions-about-state/

NASHVILLE — A Democratic legislative leader said Tuesday he will ask legislative committees to review a five-year $330 million contract with the Chicago-based multinational consulting firm Jones Lang LaSalle — in which Gov. Bill Haslam disclosed an investment of greater than $10,000 in 2010 — to manage state government’s leased and owned office space.

Jones Lang LaSalle is the firm that last year recommended the state move out of its 43-year-old Donnelley J. Hill State Office Building in Downtown Memphis and five other state-owned buildings in Nashville and Chattanooga because it said they are “functionally obsolete.” JLL is helping the state find 100,000 square feet of leased office space Downtown where employees of 12 agencies and departments currently working in the Hill Building would move.

The state’s involvement with JLL has come under increasing scrutiny since its initial $1 million contract has grown to $4.5 million to $7.6 million and it won a new contact that pays Jones Lang LaSalle about $38 million over five years for management and labor for managing state buildings. It has a maximum liability to the state of $330 million, which includes costs that JLL will pay on a pass-through basis from the state, such as electrical, ventilating, janitorial, security and landscaping vendors with no markup in costs, the Department of General Servicers said.

[freshwest]

7. But they're okay with oursourcing the jobs (and potentially their private info) to Chicago?

To CHICAGO? You know what the RWNJS say about that place - Obama, thugs, etc. Cutting off their noses to spite their faces. Some workers may be their neighbors.

They must hate so many people in their state they can't wait to hurt them. Might some of the lay offs be of POC, or is this equal opportunity destruction of the state infrastructure in TN?

[reflection]

8. I'd say both.

The only thing the average RWNJ person in TN likes better than busting unions is making AAs lives as miserable as they can.

[freshwest]

9. Sad. I always wonder why some of the most beautiful real estate in this nation belongs to them.

They may be keeping it looking pristine because they've driven out so many people to whom the blue areas give upward mobility. Depopulation by oppression. I don't know. The thinking in the deep red states seems the same as the old aristocrats or feudalists, with different logos.

[reflection]

10. I think you are a very astute person. n/t

[freshwest]

11. I deal with reality, most of the time. The rest of the time, I work to change it. LOL!

You know the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts. They alter the facts to fit their views. Which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering.

~ Tom Baker (as Doctor Who)

Having been one of the facts throughout my life they considered needed altering, I can verify that it is a very uncomfortable place to be.