A few words for state employees

Moreso than anyone else in the state, those who draw their paychecks from the Commonwealth of Kentucky are the ones most effected by the results of yesterday's election.

We have a few words of advice for state workers of all stripes in the aftermath of Steve Beshear's win.

To non-merit employees:
Do not resign, even if requested, unless you get an absolutely unbeatable job offer elsewhere. This goes for Cabinet secretaries all the way down to non-merit clerical secretaries. Make Beshear fire you on Dec. 11 after he takes office. That way, you can draw unemployment for awhile and not give him the satisfaction of starting with a clean slate. Make him occupy his first hours and days with the details of getting rid of you. In NASCAR parlance, it's time for you to make your car very wide.

To merit employees who supported Gov. Fletcher:
Watch your backs. You are targets for illegal job actions. Don't do anything that could remotely be construed as being against policy. No questionable Web surfing. No forwarding jokes on e-mail. No fudging 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there on your timesheets. Consult a private attorney or discuss options with your local prosecuting attorney in case they come after you. Brush up on KRS 18A and also the state's whistleblower laws, and don't be afraid to invoke whistleblower status on something if you feel your job's in danger. Document everything. Take nothing lying down. If they so much as try to move your office across the hall from where it is now, tell the press that you are suffering political discrimination at your workplace after the Beshear administration promised to things differently. Above all, keep up the good fight.

To merit employees who supported Beshear:
Watch your backs. Given Beshear's history with violations of the merit system, don't think you've elected a friend or an advocate. Trust us, you haven't. Don't assume you have an ally in the Governor's Office, because you don't. Also don't expect a 5 percent annual increment. Jody Richards recently was asked about the annual raise at a gathering of state employees, and the Speaker of the House ducked the question and said the state needs to fund the retirement system, and he told the workers that they may need the money now, but they'll need it when they retire too. Translated, Richards was saying, "Sorry about your luck." Wake up and realize that you've been deceived once again by a candidate who told you what he thought you wanted to hear so he could have the benefit of your bloc of votes in his race against Fletcher.