Utah state government goes to a 4-day workweek

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The state of Utah is moving to a 4-day workweek in a bid to cut state spending, according to this AP report on MSNBC.com.  Just keeping government buildings closed on Fridays will save $3 million, according to state officials.

I have a better idea. How about we go to a four-day week as well,  but let’s keep 8-hour days, cut state employees to 32-hour weeks, and cut pay and benefits accordingly.  For FY 2007, Maine spent $413 million on “personal services,” which is salaries, health insurance, and retirement benefits for state employees. Cutting that by 20% would have saved $82 million.