Latest news with #hiringfreeze
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Will Dunleavy's freeze on new regulations affect paid sick leave for Alaskans?
The Alaska and American flags fly in front of the Alaska State Capitol on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) Two weeks ago, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced a hiring freeze for most state agencies, paused new state regulations, and restricted state workers' travel. The governor's administrative order arrived amid growing concerns about state spending, and much of it is similar to orders issued during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency and the oil price shock of the mid-2010s. But this order has a new wrinkle: a pause on new state regulations. 'In order for agencies to focus their attention on the State's core mission of providing essential services to Alaskans and maximizing operational efficiency, there is, effective immediately, a freeze on the promulgation of new regulations by all agencies. This freeze does not apply to regulations currently out for public notice,' the governor's new order states. If laws enacted by the Legislature and governor are the building blocks of state government, regulations are the mortar that holds them together: Regulations, proposed by state agencies or boards and commissions, cover the details that laws don't, prescribing how state agencies should implement those laws. 'Governor Dunleavy issued Administrative Order 358 to ensure we are spending wisely and living within our means. This temporary pause on new regulations gives agencies time to evaluate priorities and reduce unnecessary regulatory growth,' said Jessica Bowers, a spokesperson for Dunleavy. Since Dunleavy's order, the state's public records system shows only one new regulations package has been posted for public comment. In the same period last year, the online public records system shows seven. There were three during the same stretch of 2023 and five during that stretch of 2022. This year, one of the biggest items affected by the governor's order is a packet of regulations that would fully implement last year's Ballot Measure 1, which requires paid sick leave and a minimum wage increase for workers starting July 1. The measure, which was approved by 58% of participating Alaska voters last year, also forbids 'captive audience meetings,' in which employees must listen to an employer's views on religion, politics or unions. New regulations require a 30-day comment period where the public can suggest changes to the final draft, and those regulations typically don't become effective until 30 days after the final version is signed by the lieutenant governor. In March, Adam Weinert, a special assistant to state Department of Labor Commissioner Cathy Muñoz, said that 'the regulation packet is currently with the Alaska Department of Law, and we intend to have the packet out for a 30-day public comment in the near future.' More than two months later, the packet still has not been published for public comment. The Department of Labor has not answered multiple requests for further information. The delay has alarmed some of the measure's supporters, who think it could be part of a national pattern. In Nebraska and Missouri, voters also passed paid sick leave ballot measures last year. In both places, state legislators proceeded to overturn those ballot measures this spring. Here in Alaska, five Republican members of the state House introduced a bill that would roll back Alaska's voter-approved law. 'As those issues have won at the ballot box, really since 2016, we have seen an escalation of attacks to direct democracy and voter-approved initiatives,' said Chris Melody Fields, executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, a national progressive organization. 'We've seen that especially on the economic justice ballot measures that were passed in 2024,' she said. The Alaska bill lacks the support needed to pass the House or Senate and may be unconstitutional, which leaves regulatory hurdles as the last obstacle before it becomes effective. Bowers, in the governor's office, cited the text of the governor's administrative order and said that agencies 'can submit a waiver to move forward with paused regulations if the regulations are necessary to protect the safety of the public or to meet other essential State responsibilities.' By email, she confirmed that the Department of Labor has submitted a waiver request and that it is under review. The Alaska Department of Law, which has been examining the regulations package for more than two months, did not answer a question on Friday seeking information about the status of that review. Joelle Hall, president of the Alaska chapter of the AFL-CIO, a federation of 63 national and international labor unions, said that regardless of what happens with the regulations, Ballot Measure 1 will become law on July 1. She supported the measure and has been tracking its implementation with interest. 'Those regs need to have a 30-day comment period … they should have been out 90 days ago, so they could have taken in public comment,' she said. Without regulations, Alaskans will still be entitled to sick leave and a higher minimum wage, but employers might not know how to keep track of that sick leave and report it properly, she said. She noted that the Department of Labor has an FAQ about the measure. Other organizations, including the Foraker Group and the law firm Landye Bennett Blumstein have also published detailed explanations on the new law going into effect. Attorney Scott Kendall said that a regulations package could still go forward after the law becomes effective. But Hall said that still leaves employers guessing. 'You're going to have a lot of employers who are confused about how they're going to track things,' she said. Of the state's decision to wait on releasing regulations, she said, 'I'm not sure what they think they're doing aside from confusing people.'
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Delaware State University freezes hiring amid growing uncertainty on public funding
This story was produced by Spotlight Delaware as part of a partnership with Delaware Online/The News Journal. For more about Spotlight Delaware, visit Delaware State University has instituted a year-long hiring freeze amid concerns over federal and state funding support, potentially slowing the decade-long revitalization underway at the state's only historically Black college and university. The freeze will go into effect June 1 and will remain in place through the end of fiscal year 2026, at which time university leaders will reevaluate, according to a memo written by DSU President Tony Allen that was obtained by Spotlight Delaware. The Dover-based school has grown significantly in recent years, including acquiring the former Wesley College in Dover, surpassing an enrollment of 6,000 for the first time, raising millions in private donations and building the first new facilities on the campus in a decade. That growth hasn't come without its challenges though. In his April 25 memo to faculty and staff, Allen noted that DSU 'achieved these results because we have been disciplined,' including enacting mid-year budget course corrections, greater efficiency through automated tools, and cultivation of a mindset focused on students and growth. The university also began a tuition increase schedule for the first time in six years beginning in 2023. Last year, it increased tuition by $250 per semester, or a 5% increase. But those efforts could also be dramatically overtaken by a decrease in federal and, or, state support if program cuts under the Trump administration become the norm for higher education. 'With so much uncertainty in Washington, an ever-changing and often volatile market, and the ongoing challenges to delivering a high-value, low-cost education for our students, I have determined that it is now time to implement a hiring freeze until we have greater clarity on the federal landscape's impact on our state support and a confidence that we can continue on the growth trajectory we have laid out in our strategic plan,' Allen wrote in his memo. 'Today, we enter a new phase.' Delaware State University had 229 faculty members across 17 departments, as of last fall. It is currently operating under a critical hiring process led by Executive Vice President Irene Hawkins and Chief Financial Officer Anas Ben Addi, which requires any new hires to be vetted by the administration for their necessity. Allen said DSU would continue to make staff changes to react to real-time needs, but the 'standard for the hurdle for such investments will be high and consistent across the university.' Grant-related research roles will also be closely monitored. 'To be clear, we are focused on bringing in more talent from grants that give us the latitude to do so, but we are not forecasting any grant-related hires into our financial projections beyond the grant period. We will need all principal investigators to abide by this objective,' Allen wrote. Earlier this year, Delaware State University obtained the R2 research level from the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education – the second highest ranking – making it only the 14th HBCU to achieve that feat. DSU is not alone in seeking to suppress hiring, as the University of Delaware has enacted criteria-driven hiring, which will limit new staff and faculty hires to those that revenue can support. UD estimates that it can save upward of $8 million annually under the strategy. Delaware State University has long contended with a negative net position due to depreciation of its facilities, debt servicing on loans and other long-term pension and benefit liabilities, but has made strides in recent years to build net revenue to help lower that burden. By the end of Fiscal Year 2024, the university had a negative net position of almost $30 million. A review of DSU's most recent audits also finds that the university's recent growth has been significantly supported by an increase in student scholarship and research funding. More than half of all undergrads are currently on federal Pell grants, which provide scholarship support for college students from low-income families, according to DSU. More than 70 percent of all students are Pell-eligible, which exposes their risk to cuts to that program. In comparison, only about 18% of University of Delaware students have Pell grants, according to data compiled by Scholarship360, an analytics and services firm. In Fiscal Year 2024, DSU kept about $45 million from tuition and fee revenue, but also gave $35 million back to students in scholarships. That reliance on support negates, in part, the recent tuition increases at the university. Meanwhile, DSU saw a 2.5% drop in enrollment this past academic year, dropping from its record of 6,451 in the fall of 2023 to 6,280 this past fall. One of the university's most consistent revenue generators in recent years has been federal research grants and contracts, growing nearly 60% from about $25 million a year to nearly $40 million. With the Trump administration cutting those grants and seeking to pare back the available facilities & administrative fees for them, DSU may not be able to rely on that funding for future growth to the same extent. Those factors are combined with DSU's longstanding argument that the state government should consider greater support for the institution. With about $46 million in state funds totaling under 20% of its revenues, DSU ranks No. 34 out of all public HBCUs nationwide. Most of its regional HBCU peers exceed 30% in public support and two even exceed 50%. 'First, we are experiencing significant uncertainty on our level of State funding. We also have significant financial exposure both on federal financial aid, including Pell Grants, and research grant funding. Because of that uncertainty, we have pursued these responsible measures to protect the long-term financial sustainability of Delaware State University. University leadership will continue to consider additional cost-cutting measures, including a reduction in the University's offering of summer camps,' Jonathan Starkey, vice president of government relations at DSU, said in a statement when asked about DSU's financial position. Get stories like this delivered to your email inbox by signing up for the free newsletter at This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware State University freezes hiring amid public funding concerns
Washington Post
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Cash-strapped Bureau of Prisons freezes some hiring to 'avoid more extreme measures,' director says
The Trump administration is halting some hiring at the federal Bureau of Prisons, the crisis-plagued agency where chronic understaffing has led to long overtime shifts and the use of prison nurses, teachers, cooks and other workers to guard inmates. The move, which coincides with President Donald Trump's aggressive campaign to cut the cost and size of the federal government, was announced Thursday by the agency's newly appointed director, William K. Marshall III. Some union officials characterized the move as a 'hiring freeze,' though the agency denied that, saying some positions would continue to be filled.
The Independent
08-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Cash-strapped Bureau of Prisons freezes some hiring to 'avoid more extreme measures,' director says
The Trump administration is halting some hiring at the federal Bureau of Prisons, the crisis-plagued agency where chronic understaffing has led to long overtime shifts and the use of prison nurses, teachers, cooks and other workers to guard inmates. The move, which coincides with President Donald Trump's aggressive campaign to cut the cost and size of the federal government, was announced Thursday by the agency's newly appointed director, William K. Marshall III. Some union officials characterized the move as a 'hiring freeze,' though the agency denied that, saying some positions would continue to be filled. The Bureau of Prisons will maintain current staffing levels at least through the end of the fiscal year, Sept 30, Marshall wrote in an email to staff titled 'Staffing and Hiring Decisions.' The agency will still work to fill critical positions, such as correctional officers and medical clinicians, and will honor job offers that are currently pending on an accelerated timeline. The change comes days after Trump ordered the Bureau of Prisons to reopen Alcatraz, the fabled former penitentiary in San Francisco Bay that last held inmates more than six decades ago. The dilapidated facility, now a popular museum and tourist attraction, will likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild at a time when the federal prison system is facing a $3 billion repair backlog and myriad other woes. Marshall said this week that the cash-strapped agency will conduct 'an immediate assessment to determine our needs and the next steps' on Trump's Alcatraz directive. Since mid-March, 11 federal prison inmates have died. Last week, an inmate in Miami tested positive for tuberculosis, while others were diagnosed with COVID-19. In February, a Bureau of Prisons official told Congress that more than 4,000 beds within the system — the equivalent of at least two full prisons — are unusable because of dangers like leaking or failing roofs, mold, asbestos or lead. In his announcement Thursday, Marshall told employees that changing the Bureau of Prisons' hiring practices are necessary to 'avoid more extreme measures" as it navigates budgetary challenges. The plan will 'maintain stability and protect the livelihood of our workforce to the fullest extent possible," he wrote. The hiring freeze is likely to exacerbate a staffing crisis at the agency, which has more than 4,000 unfilled positions, union officials said. The administration previously eliminated some pay bonuses that were credited with retaining and attracting new staff. In one example of staffing problems, a federal jail in Brooklyn had more than 150 vacancies despite a hiring surge that increased staffing by about 20%. Before that, the facility was operating at about 55% of full staffing, according to court filings. 'We're already severely understaffed, they took our retention pay, they have been literally stripping all the things away from us that matter,' said Aaron McGlothin, union president at the federal prison in Mendota, California. 'Freezing an already severely understaffed agency will lead to tragic consequences, we are tired of doing more with less." Trump suspended hiring across many parts of the federal bureaucracy when he took office in January, but initially spared the Bureau of Prisons and other law enforcement agencies. At the same time the administration and billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency cut probationary workers and offered buyouts to hundreds of thousands of workers across the government. Trump previously imposed a hiring freeze at the Bureau of Prisons during his first term, in 2017. That freeze was blamed for accelerating the glut of vacancies and overtime spending — a trend that has continued for years as the agency has struggled to hire and retain employees. Some correctional officers have been pressed into duty for 16-hour shifts and 80-hour weeks. 'Staff are mentally and physically exhausted from the do more with less directives,' McGlothin said, noting a wave of retirements in the wake of Trump's actions. 'Nothing ever good comes from these situations and I pray no one is injured or killed over these senseless decisions.' An ongoing investigation from The Associated Press has uncovered deep, previously unreported flaws within the Bureau of Prisons, an agency with more than 30,000 employees, 158,000 inmates, 122 facilities and an annual budget of about $8 billion. AP reporting has revealed rampant misconduct, including staff-on-inmate sexual abuse, dozens of escapes, chronic violence, deaths and severe staffing shortages that have hampered responses to emergencies, including inmate assaults and suicides. In December, the agency announced it was permanently closing its women's prison in Dublin, California, in the wake of rampant sexual abuse by employees, including the warden. It addition, it idled six prison camps across the country, moves it said were done to address 'significant challenges, including a critical staffing shortage, crumbling infrastructure and limited budgetary resources.'
Associated Press
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Cash-strapped Bureau of Prisons freezes some hiring to 'avoid more extreme measures,' director says
The Trump administration is halting some hiring at the federal Bureau of Prisons, the crisis-plagued agency where chronic understaffing has led to long overtime shifts and the use of prison nurses, teachers, cooks and other workers to guard inmates. The move, which coincides with President Donald Trump's aggressive campaign to cut the cost and size of the federal government, was announced Thursday by the agency's newly appointed director, William K. Marshall III. Some union officials characterized the move as a 'hiring freeze,' though the agency denied that, saying some positions would continue to be filled. The Bureau of Prisons will maintain current staffing levels at least through the end of the fiscal year, Sept 30, Marshall wrote in an email to staff titled 'Staffing and Hiring Decisions.' The agency will still work to fill critical positions, such as correctional officers and medical clinicians, and will honor job offers that are currently pending on an accelerated timeline. The change comes days after Trump ordered the Bureau of Prisons to reopen Alcatraz, the fabled former penitentiary in San Francisco Bay that last held inmates more than six decades ago. The dilapidated facility, now a popular museum and tourist attraction, will likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild at a time when the federal prison system is facing a $3 billion repair backlog and myriad other woes. Marshall said this week that the cash-strapped agency will conduct 'an immediate assessment to determine our needs and the next steps' on Trump's Alcatraz directive. Since mid-March, 11 federal prison inmates have died. Last week, an inmate in Miami tested positive for tuberculosis, while others were diagnosed with COVID-19. In February, a Bureau of Prisons official told Congress that more than 4,000 beds within the system — the equivalent of at least two full prisons — are unusable because of dangers like leaking or failing roofs, mold, asbestos or lead. In his announcement Thursday, Marshall told employees that changing the Bureau of Prisons' hiring practices are necessary to 'avoid more extreme measures' as it navigates budgetary challenges. The plan will 'maintain stability and protect the livelihood of our workforce to the fullest extent possible,' he wrote. The hiring freeze is likely to exacerbate a staffing crisis at the agency, which has more than 4,000 unfilled positions, union officials said. The administration previously eliminated some pay bonuses that were credited with retaining and attracting new staff. In one example of staffing problems, a federal jail in Brooklyn had more than 150 vacancies despite a hiring surge that increased staffing by about 20%. Before that, the facility was operating at about 55% of full staffing, according to court filings. 'We're already severely understaffed, they took our retention pay, they have been literally stripping all the things away from us that matter,' said Aaron McGlothin, union president at the federal prison in Mendota, California. 'Freezing an already severely understaffed agency will lead to tragic consequences, we are tired of doing more with less.' Trump suspended hiring across many parts of the federal bureaucracy when he took office in January, but initially spared the Bureau of Prisons and other law enforcement agencies. At the same time the administration and billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency cut probationary workers and offered buyouts to hundreds of thousands of workers across the government. Trump previously imposed a hiring freeze at the Bureau of Prisons during his first term, in 2017. That freeze was blamed for accelerating the glut of vacancies and overtime spending — a trend that has continued for years as the agency has struggled to hire and retain employees. Some correctional officers have been pressed into duty for 16-hour shifts and 80-hour weeks. 'Staff are mentally and physically exhausted from the do more with less directives,' McGlothin said, noting a wave of retirements in the wake of Trump's actions. 'Nothing ever good comes from these situations and I pray no one is injured or killed over these senseless decisions.' An ongoing investigation from The Associated Press has uncovered deep, previously unreported flaws within the Bureau of Prisons, an agency with more than 30,000 employees, 158,000 inmates, 122 facilities and an annual budget of about $8 billion. AP reporting has revealed rampant misconduct, including staff-on-inmate sexual abuse, dozens of escapes, chronic violence, deaths and severe staffing shortages that have hampered responses to emergencies, including inmate assaults and suicides. In December, the agency announced it was permanently closing its women's prison in Dublin, California, in the wake of rampant sexual abuse by employees, including the warden. It addition, it idled six prison camps across the country, moves it said were done to address 'significant challenges, including a critical staffing shortage, crumbling infrastructure and limited budgetary resources.'
