The head of Iowa’s prison system says 150 prison workers will be laid off over the next few weeks. Jan Corderman, president of AFSCME — the largest union for state workers, says as many as one thousand state government workers will lose their jobs as a result of budget cuts. Corderman says morale among state workers is “very poor.” She says people see the writing on the wall after seeing colleagues leave this summer.State workers who get a “pink slip” don’t necessarily leave state employment. In certain circumstances, they can choose to take a job held by another worker.Under the collective bargaining agreement, a union worker can often take the job of a less-senior employee in their area.State employees have five days to make a decision about “bumping” another worker out of their job.
