Muskegon Sun

Roughly 400 Muskegon County workers will be furloughed through July 25 as the area attempts to save $1.8 million during the COVID-19 fallout, according to MLive.

The Muskegon County Board of Commissioners unanimously agreed on the move, which is included in the Michigan Work Share Program, where employers can open doors to its employees but with fewer hours, giving workers the green light to collect unemployment. 

County workers, minus the essential ones, moved forward with going into work four days a week starting Monday, June 1, with their daily hours are still 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., MLive reported. Ultimately, they will work between 20% and 6% fewer hours during the furloughed time frame. 

As for the Muskegon County court system, it started lowering hours on May 25. But the court’s order to jump back into full swing will not be impacted. That plan, which includes four phases, started on June 12th, the same day Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s most recent stay at home order ended.

The changes won’t impact essential workers in the following departments: Muskegon County Airport, HealthWest, the county jail, Juvenile Transition Center, Muskegon Area Transit System, parks and recreation, prosecutor’s office, public health, sheriff’s department, solid waste management, treasurer, wastewater management and water, according to MLive. 

Those departments will not have Friday’s off during the time frame in question, but will continue working full time.

The county is one of the latest in the state to draw back on workers’ hours in an effort to save money during the national pandemic, which has created a financial setback for millions around the U.S.