The furlough, which will affect nearly all employees of the General Assembly Council, will take effect May 17-23 and is expected to save $450,000 in the 2009 budget.
And a planned salary increase for the national staff for 2010 will be eliminated – saving approximately $900,000 more.
A news release announcing the measures indicated that both were among ideas employees suggested as ways to deal with difficult economic times.
The General Assembly Council’s Executive Committee approved both requiring the furloughs and eliminating the raises in a conference call this week that was not announced to the media, which means the meeting was not open to the public.
And these cost-cutting steps are likely a prelude to another round of budget-cutting expected when the General Assembly Council meets in Louisville March 25-27. While no details have yet been released, the denomination’s headquarters has been buzzing with concern, and with projections that millions more in budget cuts and more job losses will be announced soon.
According to Susan Lindsey, a senior communications associate, most employees of the General Assembly Council will be affected, excluding mission personnel. The denomination’s headquarters building near the Ohio River in Louisville would remain open during the furlough week, in part because other tenants use the building.
The PC(USA)’s last major budget cut came in 2006, when $9.1 million was cut and 75 jobs eliminated, and the positions of 40 mission co-workers eliminated through attrition.
