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Many Toil Through Forced Leave

Workers on furloughs aren't granted—or won't allow themselves—time off

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 15, 2009 7:34 AM CDT

(Newser) – Sure, required time off beats a layoff—but that can be tough to remember as many continue working through their furloughs, the New York Times reports. Some worry their jobs are at stake if they don’t keep working; others just can’t get their employers to schedule days off. And “sometimes it’s just too busy at work,” notes one employee. “You start to feel guilty.”

The furlough isn’t “doing what it was designed to do,” says a California man. “We were imagining three-day weekends. It was a trade-off for sure, but people were OK.” But now, “people are working in fear because they don’t know what’s going to happen next.” A labor expert calls furloughs “risky,” saying, “A worker’s emotional reaction to a furlough takes control of rational thought.”

A group with many Motor Vehicle Commission employees holds signs to protest furloughs Monday, May 18, 2009, outside the Statehouse in Trenton, NJ.
A group with many Motor Vehicle Commission employees holds signs to protest furloughs Monday, May 18, 2009, outside the Statehouse in Trenton, NJ.   (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Candy Jackson, manager of the Department of Motor Vehicles office in Placerville, Calif., displays the warning signs that the office will be closed Friday, on Feb. 5, 2009.
Candy Jackson, manager of the Department of Motor Vehicles office in Placerville, Calif., displays the warning signs that the office will be closed Friday, on Feb. 5, 2009.   (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
A state electrical engineer signs in at the security desk at the Caltrans office in Sacramento, Calif., Friday, Feb. 6, 2009. Despite being furloughed for the day, Slavin came in to work without pay.
A state electrical engineer signs in at the security desk at the Caltrans office in Sacramento, Calif., Friday, Feb. 6, 2009. Despite being furloughed for the day, Slavin came in to work without pay.   (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
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COMMENTS
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kokuaguy
Jun 15, 2009 5:44 AM CDT
The American Dream ...

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