Two public employee unions on Monday filed a lawsuit against California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for his attempt to furlough state workers.
The lawsuit accused the governor of ordering all state workers to take two unpaid days off each month starting next February.
While announcing the executive order last week, Schwarzenegger said the furloughs were necessary to cut costs as California's treasury runs out of money.
The lawsuit, filed in Sacramento Superior Court, called for an end to Schwarzenegger's efforts, asserting that only the Legislature can alter the pay of workers who have labor contracts with the state.
"We don't think he has the authority," said Bruce Blanning, executive director of the Professional Engineers of California Government (PECG), which filed the lawsuit along with the California Association of Professional Scientists (CAPS).
The governor has "asked for a couple of months to try to convince the Legislature to pass a bill to allow him to furlough employees," Blanning said.
California, the most populous state in the nation, is 14.8 billion dollars in the red, and the budget deficit is projected to grow to nearly 42 billion dollars in 18 months.
Earlier on Monday, Schwarzenegger warned of a deepening crisis in the state due to legislature's failure to pass a real and comprehensive budget solution.
"Due to the legislature's continued failure to provide a real and comprehensive budget solution, 2,000 infrastructure projects in California valued at more than 16 billion dollars are in jeopardy and tens of thousands of California jobs are immediately at risk," the governor said in a statement.
Schwarzenegger has declared a fiscal emergency, called the Legislature into a special session to find ways to cut spending and raise revenue.
But he has rejected tax increases and cuts in state services that Democrats got through the Assembly.
The governor and Democratic leaders of the Senate and Assembly are scheduled to meet Tuesday in an attempt to resolve their differences.
Source:Xinhua
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