How Do The Mandatory Government Furloughs Affect Salaried Employees? (Denver: salary, living in)

[mcb1025]

Are there any City of Denver employees here or do you know any personally? The reason I ask is because I'm curious about how the mandatory furloughs apply to salaried workers. If you're making a set salary each year and are mandated to take a furlough, are you not making your full annual salary? Or do the furloughs only affect hourly workers?

The reason I ask is because I'm looking at job opportunities with the city, but I'm concerned that I won't be making the salary that is advertised due to the mandatory furloughs.

Thanks in advance for your answers.

[the3Ds]

Originally Posted by mcb1025

Are there any City of Denver employees here or do you know any personally? The reason I ask is because I'm curious about how the mandatory furloughs apply to salaried workers. If you're making a set salary each year and are mandated to take a furlough, are you not making your full annual salary? Or do the furloughs only affect hourly workers?

The reason I ask is because I'm looking at job opportunities with the city, but I'm concerned that I won't be making the salary that is advertised due to the mandatory furloughs.

Thanks in advance for your answers.

My husband is a salaried employee with the City of Denver and here's what that means: His salary per year is divided up by 26 paychecks (city employees get paid every two weeks) and those paychecks are divided up into 80 hours. His paycheck is never the same...differing sometimes of up to $300 (mostly it's a difference of around $50-$100). Sometimes he gets paid more (for working a night shift, overtime or a holiday) and sometimes he gets paid less (though not THAT much less...not including the furlough days). The furlough days affected us a lot and meant a good couple of hundred dollars less than what he usually gets paid. But...in this economy, we're just happy he has a job with great benefits.

The difference between a salaried employee and an hourly employee is that the hourly employee only gets paid for the hours he/she works. Their 40-hour workweek isn't guaranteed. The salaried employee can get paid less if he/she runs out of leave but still doesn't come to work or in the case of furlough days, he gets paid for 72 hours instead of his usual 80. If you are a salaried employee but work more than your 80 hours, you get paid more, just like an hourly worker, but if you work less than 80 hours (not talking about furlough days), you get paid for 80 hours.

I'm not sure if that's confusing. My husband works for DIA (which makes him a city employee). Every pay stub has his 80 hours on it and then extras (shift differential, holiday pay, overtime, etc). When he has a furlough day, instead of being paid for 80 hours, he is only paid for working 72.

Incidentally, they have also stopped the cost of living increases, the annual salary increases and promotions for city employees. It's just the reality of the economic times we're in, but I still would rather have him as a salaried employee instead of an hourly one. Plus, the economy isn't going to stay bad forever and eventually, the promotions and raises will be back.