Lawsuit won't halt furloughs, judge decides

OLYMPIA - A judge refused to block state furloughs while a lawsuit filed by a state employees union moves forward.

Thurston County Superior Court Judge Richard Hicks denied the Washington Federation of State Employees’ request to stop the furloughs before they begin July 12. The superintendent of public instruction’s office and the Department of Retirement Systems will both be closed in the first round of furloughs.

Under a new law, some state employees will take 10 unpaid days off work over the next year. Agencies had the option of coming up with their own plans to save the same amount of money.