From The State Worker blog: State workers are getting only a month's reprieve from furloughs. Gov. Schwarzenegger has ordered three-day furloughs to begin again Aug. 1. They'll end when the Legislature passes the budget. Unlike the previous furlough order, the new order exempts employees who work for departments that collect revenue. The governor ordered the furloughs after state Controller John Chiang said he would begin issuing IOUs in August or September if the budget doesn't pass. Read the governor's order GAAS:472:10.

A Sacramento Superior Court judge has pushed back the date that attorneys will argue about minimum wage for state employees, guaranteeing full pay at least through September.

In a strong endorsement for Prop. 25, a ballot measure that would end the two-thirds requirement for passing the budget and raising taxes, two editors who rarely agree take the same side. The major reason: A majority vote would almost certainly end the budget gridlock that wreaks havoc on state workers and nearly everyone else. It also is the responsible thing to do. ACSS supports this measure.

The State Worker column reports today on the costs of the minimum-wage fight between Gov. Schwarzenegger and state Controller John Chiang. Has Schwarzenegger won by losing?

Read the full story on the court ruling that denied Gov. Schwarzenegger's request to force the state controller to pay state workers minimum wage. The order gives state workers at least two more months of full pay. The story links to Judge Marlette's ruling.

In a much-needed turn of good news for state workers, Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Patrick Marlette today denied Gov. Schwarzenegger's request to compel the state controller to pay state workers the federal minimum wage. A hearing on the issues is scheduled for July 26, and later in Augus. State Controller John Chiang has said he would not issue minimum-wage checks unless a court order to do so was issued before the payroll deadline of July 22.

State Worker columnist Jon Ortiz interviews state Controller John Chiang on his refusal to pay minimum wage. "Our issue with the governor's pay order is that it's vague," Chiang said.

The State Worker column this morning tracks the "whiff of labor unrest" being detected among state employees. Although state workers may be "tapped out," beware of sickouts, the column warns. A minimum-wage hearing starts Friday in Superior Court.

CalPERS is reporting an 11.4 percent return on preliminary estimates for the one-year period ending June 30. The upturn for the 2008-09 fiscal year exceeded CalPERS' long-term annualized earnings target.

SEIU Local 1000 last Friday made a contact proposal that asked for 5 percent COLAs in 2012 and 2015 and some pension plan reductions. It didn't include an increase in retirement contribution. Now DPA must respond.

State Worker blog: The California Association of Professional Scientists and the Professional Engineers in California Government have filed a motion to be a party to the minimum-wage lawsuit, both on Controller John Chiang's side.

The Sacramento Bee this morning outlined some horrific consquences if the minimum-wage order is carried out. Not only would the cuts affect state worker families, but the ripple effect on the economy would be enormous. The value of the lost wages could support as many as 25,000 jobs. Some banks, including the Golden 1 Credit Union, founded by state supervisors, will offer interest-free loans to state workers on minimum wage. Link includes graphic.

For more good points to add to your arsenal of arguments against the governor's brutal minimum-wage order, read this Sacramento Bee editorial: A couple of quotes: "Many state workers are on the brink now" and "Both the governor and the Legislature need to stop using state workers as pawns in a dangerous game."

Calling the situation "regrettable" for "innocent Californians," Controller John Chiang's chief of staff outlined the reasons the controller is unable to comply with the governor's minimum wage order in a July 2 letter to DPA Director Debbie Endsley. He challenges the DPA's interpretation of the minimum-wage law and the feasibility of implementing the change. Attached are relevant communications from a previous controller written in 2004.

Two sources have put out Q&As answering common questions on the minimum wage order. The Sacramento Bee this morning published a brief but informative Bee Q&A; DPA provided its own DPA Q&A.with a little different focus. The affected state workers will not start receiving minimum wage until their Aug. 1 paychecks. Most supervisors would get $455 a week.