Tennessee State Employees Can Expect Layoff Notices in the Mail

We all know that no one has not felt the suffering of the struggling economy. We have all had to cut backs, worry about how to pay the bills, and deal with layoffs and having to find a new job. Unfortunately, the residents of Tennessee may feel even more of the struggle very soon.
On Wednesday March 24, 2010, Governor Phil Bredsen announced that Tennessee will be mailing out layoff notices to 853 state employees this week. He also added that another 317 layoff notices will be sent out over the next six months as the state will shut down the Clover Bottom long-term care facility for the mentally disabled in Nashville.

Most of the layoffs are unfortunately being made for business reasons and budget cuts in the intellectual disabilities and children’s services field. The Governor had said that he is “just trying to get the state through this very hard economic time”. Workers will be given three months notice that their jobs will be eliminated and will given $3,200 in severance pay and will be eligible for college tuition credits.

These notices are being sent out now so that the jobs will be vacant by the state’s next budget year beginning on July 1st.

Tennessee employs about 45,000 full time workers and the Clover Bottom facility is the state’s oldest facility for the mentally disabled. Closing it will save about $36 million per year in state and federal dollars. The facility’s one hundred residents can be moved to other facilities in East Tennessee or to other private facilities.

For more information on this story, you may visit: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100324/NEWS02/100324012/TN+state+employees+to+get+layoff+notices+in+mail+this+week+

If you have questions regarding layoffs in Tennessee and your severance pay or future employment rights, please a Tennessee Employment Law Attorney at Higgins Firm. You may contact us online or by calling 1-800-7052121 to discuss your employment questions and concerns.