Labor’s Legislative Hero of the Month: State Controller John Chiang

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California State Controller John Chiang has been named the August Legislative Hero of the Month for standing up to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger during the state’s budget fight.

The Governor signed an executive order resulting in the salary of state workers to be cut to the federal minimum wage of $6.55 an hour, which is $1.45 below the state’s minimum wage.

In addition to the cut in wages, approximately 22,000 temporary, seasonal and student employees would be laid off until a budget is passed by the state Legislature.

When Chiang, whose office pays all state workers, learned of the plan, he courageously defied the Governor’s threats. Chiang has refused to go along with the Governor’s use of state workers as pawns in the budget fight.

“The authority to issue people’s paychecks is mine. I have both constitutional and statutory authority,” Chiang told the San Francisco Chronicle. “Frankly, (the governor) is just trying to make me do something that's improper and illegal.”

Besides the plan being morally wrong and possibly illegal, Chiang contends that the state has enough money available to continue paying state workers through September. On behalf of the 120,000 working families of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, we thank Controller John Chiang for standing up for the rights of working families.