Personal Struggles, Frustrations for State Workers Without Jobs

The way Marilyn Remer sees it, a budget should be the first thing legislators should work on.

Then maybe she wouldn’t be without a job. “They should lose their jobs,” said Remer, a utilities engineer at the Minnesota Department of Transportation who lives in Eagan.

“Why can’t they start early and finish it at least on time?” she said. “It’s so frustrating.”

She’s one of thousands of Minnesota state workers laid off because of the shutdown. She’s also a veteran state worker, with 29 years of experience. She filed for unemployment late last week as she thought about when the shutdown might end.

“I just really don’t know,” she said. “I think both sides are sort of dug in.”

In 2005, Remer worked during the state government shutdown. As a manager, she even had two other people from her staff who were working. That’s because construction projects were still moving ahead then.

This time is different, she said. In that shutdown, more than 800 people kept their jobs as the state’s lights darkened, she said. This time, more than 200 people are still working, she said.

Remer spoke at a forum last week where Eagan residents like her voiced their concerns about the budget and the shutdown. She remarked how much money has already been wasted.

She said state workers made six to eight weeks of preparations to get ready for the shutdown. Notification was sent to people who have utilities permits with the state, and all those letters were sent by certified mail, she said. Each piece of certified mail cost more than $5 each, and several hours were spent making sure the mail was just right, she said.

“We were working so hard to get ready to lose our jobs,” Remer said.

She said she is doing fine financially, but she worries about her employees. One person who works for her had been laid off more than a year before landing a job with the state, she said.

She feels the state Legislature is not thinking about the state workers. They’ve already gone through budget cuts, and now they’ve lost their jobs. “We do our job everyday. But they’re not doing their jobs,” Remer said. “I’d like to see myself and my employees and my coworkers be appreciated.”

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