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| Bob Weatherford and his family had to declare bankruptcy after he was furloughed from his job as a correctional officer in Susanville, Calif. |
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- More than a half million government workers nationwide are grappling with their second year of forced furloughs.
Far from being just extra vacation time, it's meant financial struggle for many employees. At a minimum, they are cutting back. At worst, they are losing their homes and declaring bankruptcy.
"We've never seen this scale and magnitude. The hardships are incredible," said Steven Kreisberg, director of collective bargaining for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which has 1.6 million members in 46 states.
Some 22 states had furloughs in the past year, and at least 13 of them plan to continue them into 2011, according to a study by the governors and state budget officers associations. Meanwhile, 19% of cities have instituted furloughs, according to the National League of Cities.
While some places ask workers to give up just a few days, elsewhere it can be much worse. California, for example, requires employees to take off three unpaid days a month, while Hawaii is mandates 18 days a year through mid-2011.[continue reading on CNN...]
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