Nearly 400 Labor Department workers furloughed

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Nearly 400 state workers in the Tennessee Department of Labor are being furloughed because of the partial federal government shutdown.

According to WKRN-TV (http://bit.ly/1bszrrJ), 369 workers began their furloughs on Monday. Twenty-seven workers within the department started last week.

Department spokesman Jeff Hentschel says the workers will be on unpaid leave of absence until the state hears otherwise.

The department receives the bulk of its funding from Washington for things like administering unemployment benefits

Hentschel says those benefits are still being processed and state-run career offices remain open.

Also Monday, the Tennessee Department of Human Services furloughed 112 disability determination services employees.