rap #88 05/20/09
FOLLOWING FREEHOLDERS’ LETTER, GOVERNOR CORZINE RESCINDS MANDATORY FURLOUGHS FOR VETERAN WORKERS
FOLLOWING A LETTER of protest from the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Governor Jon S. Corzine has
temporarily rescinded a controversial plan to furlough some state employees who assist veterans.
“This is a victory for all of our veterans,” said Freeholder Deputy Director Gerry P. Little. “Now let’s hope
that the governor’s decision carries over into additional months.”
Last week Little and Freeholder Director John C. Bartlett Jr. penned a letter to the governor asking that he
reconsider the mandatory furlough of employees at the state’s Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP).
“Many veterans, especially those who have returned from fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, depend on these
offices for job searches and other support services,” Little said. “Closing them, even for a day, would be a disservice
to our veterans.”
Many state employees are being forced to take unpaid furloughs in an effort to balance the state budget.
However, the DVOP employees are funded 100 percent by the federal government.
“The state is not going to save a dime by furloughing these important employees,” Little said. “We’ve been told
by some state officials that there would be too many ‘administrative’ problems in trying to keep the offices open. I
say the needs of our brave men and women who fought and sacrificed so much for our state and nation must come before
any ‘administrative’ difficulties.”
Corzine, it seems, agreed. The DVOP employees who were to have a day off this week will instead be at work as
usual, including the three professionals assigned to Ocean County.
Little said he was told by veterans officials that Ocean County was the only county that issued a formal
complaint about the furloughs to the governor.
“Ocean County is home to more than 68,000 veterans, the most of any county in the state,” he said. “It was on
their behalf that we asked the governor to overturn the furloughs.”
Bartlett said he is hopeful that additional unpaid furloughs for DVOP employees scheduled for the coming months
will also be rescinded.
“We thank the governor for his action and ask that all of the scheduled furloughs for the DVOP offices be
immediately cancelled,” Bartlett said.
