The jobs of 74 corrections workers in the Fort Dodge area appear to depend on the possibility of unions reaching an agreement with Gov. Chet Culver.
Those workers were to be laid off to help the Department of Corrections comply with a 10 percent across the board budget cut imposed by Culver.
But on Wednesday, Culver rejected the department's proposed cuts and called for negotiations with three unions that represent state workers: the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; Iowa United Professionals and the State Police Officers Council.
''If we cannot reach agreement with the unions, then I will implement the layoff plans submitted by these two departments,'' Culver said in a statement issued by his office. He was referring to the departments of Corrections and Public Safety.
The layoff plan would hit these local correctional sites:
- Fort Dodge Correctional Facility - 78 positions, 51 of which are filled
- North Central Correctional Facility, Rockwell City - 19 positions, nine of which are filled.
The community-based corrections system for the 2nd Judicial District which includes Fort Dodge would lose 14 positions. All those positions are filled.
State Rep. Helen Miller, D-Fort Dodge, said a lot of things are ''still up in the air'' for local prison workers.
''There's really nothing definitive,'' she said.
The final outcome, she said, will depend on what happens between the unions and the Culver administration.
Miller noted that the Revenue Estimating Conference, the panel which estimates how much money the state government will take in, is going to meet in December. The results of that meeting could change the budget picture again, Miller said.
Contact Bill Shea at (515) 573-2141 or bshea@messengernews.net