Gov. Linda Lingle issued a news release shortly before 6 p.m. yesterday urging state employees who were given lay off notices this week to sign their notices.

The news release said the Hawai‘i Government Employees Association has told its employees not to complete the forms acknowledging the lay off notice, despite the State having set a Tuesday (Aug. 18) deadline for the submission of those forms.
“I hope our employees adhere to the deadline we have set, because the possible consequences to them of ignoring the deadline could be the loss of any ability to bump into a different position,” Lingle said.
“I am also very disappointed that the HGEA and UPW have failed to respond to the offer we presented on July 21, 2009. Unfortunately, the State’s deteriorating budget situation is getting worse, not better, and the amount the State can afford to pay in labor costs continues to decline. The unions’ failure to accept or recognize this is, in my opinion, not in their members’ best interests.”