Budget fix leaves some state workers in a child care fix

Just talking to a few state workers, I'm hearing the same concern again and again about the new four-day workweek: child care.

Those state workers, who on July 1 will work shifts of 10 hours, four days a week, starting at 7 a.m. and ending at 6 p.m., are fretting about how their children will fare in school and day care for 12 hours a day, possibly longer if there's a long commute.

That's presuming they can find day care open that early and staying open that late.

Gov. Jim Gibbons suggested the four-day workweek, and legislators approved it, accepting the premise it will save energy costs estimated at $5.3 million a year.

It's one piece of the puzzle to balance the state budget, which was poised to have a nearly $900 million shortfall before the special session.

"The most stressed parents live in Reno and have children in day care there and commute to Carson City," one state worker said. Long commutes in Las Vegas also pose challenges for state workers with children. She questions whether the energy savings will happen, noting some state buildings are leased.

"There's no savings in a leased building," she said. "If it goes dark on Fridays, the landlord makes a bigger profit."

The university plan, where workers are expected to work either Monday through Thursday or Tuesday through Friday is "just a farce," the same worker said. "There's no savings there."

There has been a savings when cities such as Henderson, North Las Vegas or Boulder City go dark because they own those buildings and the buildings actually close. When Henderson instituted the four-day workweek in 1983, it was considered a perk.

Henderson employees work 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with a half-hour lunch. North Las Vegas is open 8 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Only Boulder City is open the same hours as the state workers.

Single workers said they are happy with the four-day workweek and are glad the Legislature didn't approve a pay cut. But one state worker, who would have preferred a pay cut questions how efficient workers will be for 10 hours, especially those with jobs involving detail analysis.

The various state departments can file for exemptions, and some seem inevitable. The already overburdened Department of Motor Vehicles is expected to get an exemption, so is the Welfare Division and workers in prisons and mental health facilities.

"This was ill-thought out," said a state worker, who like others I spoke with, didn't want her name printed. "It doesn't make any sense logically."

Yet in Utah, they rave about the four-day workweek.

Angie Welling, spokeswoman for Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, said child care was one of the top concerns when Utah started its four-day pilot program Work 4 Utah in August 2008.

When the 17,000 workers were surveyed one year later, that concern was no longer an issue.

"Parents said they wouldn't have traded it (the schedule) for the world," Welling said.

About 80 percent said they didn't want to go back to the five-day week.

One reason for success was the flexibility offered. Some people were allowed to work from home. Others started later and worked later. The state helped parents find child care.

Detailed information about the now permanent work schedule in Utah is at www.dhrm.utah.gov/.

In the meantime, Nevada state workers, particularly single moms, are worrying about how they can continue to work and provide the necessary care for their children.

Flexibility was the answer in Utah and that should work in Nevada. But until it all shakes out, worry about child care is the major concern, at least for those ones who have jobs.

Jane Ann Morrison's column appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday. E-mail her at Jane@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0275. She also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/morrison.