PUEBLO — Hundreds of Pueblo County employees gathered to voice their frustration over mandatory unpaid days off implemented by the Board of County Commissioners as the county faces a budget shortfall exceeding $10 million.
Presidents’ Day marked the first of 10 unpaid furlough days and two unpaid early release days that county workers will face in 2026. The measure is expected to save approximately $1.5 million of the more than $10 million deficit.
"Anytime you are touching or messing with a person's livelihood, it's very frustrating. It's scary," says demonstrator Roseanna Torres-Hererra.
Many workers expressed concern about the impact on their financial stability and questioned the fairness of the decision.
"The sacrifice you make as a public sector employee is benefits for less pay, and now we're getting reduced pay and no benefits," says another demonstrator, Bryan Vandeveire. “County employees were not the reason for the debt that we're in right now," he adds.
The furlough days have created morale issues among county staff, with some predicting the policy could lead to increased absenteeism and turnover.
"There's a lot of morale issues, and I feel that that's gonna just lead to more time off," says Torres-Hererra.
Workers emphasized the real-world impact of losing pay, particularly for those without many savings.
"We all live paycheck to paycheck, you know, we depend upon what we make, we depend upon the certainty of what we make,” says Torres-Hererra.
I received the following reply from Pueblo County Commissioner Miles Lucero:
"I think the working people have a right to be upset and express it however they see fit. I'm upset about the situation myself and I fully support our employees. Unfortunately, the severity of our budget situation means we will have to make cuts in many areas including personnel. We are also exploring the possibility of selling properties owned by the County and refinancing our debt obligations, among other options. I plan to take a proportional pay cut along with employees. Statutorily, we can't alter our pay, but I intend to write the County a check. I'll be participating in this pay cut and I believe the other commissioners intend to also."