The governor had previously said layoffs would have to be the alternative to furloughs, but immediately following the ruling today she took a wait-and-see approach.
The governor gets the call midmorning, court didn't go her way. Without a clear path to furloughs, what next for a state in fiscal crisis.
"One of the alternatives is layoffs and I think everyone wants to avoid that. So we'll wait and see how this all plays out," Lingle said. "We can't afford the government we have. We have to make adjustments."
But how, how much and how soon is now up in the air. Unclear which of two courses of action will be resolved first. One the likely court appeal, another the contract talks guided by a federal mediator.
"I would hope that the parties would calm down, get together and with some rationality and some congeniality sit down and discuss this matter," said Sen. Dan Inouye, "You don't need to take such a drastic step of 3 furloughs per month, one should suffice."
But Governor Lingle says the very latest tax revenue numbers she has shows the deficit is much worse than even the last dire council on revenues outlook, meaning more, not less, would have to be cut. "And so you're talking about at least another 100 million dollars on top of that, so it's been a moving target."
With that added gap it could mean 3,900 people could have to lose their jobs. That's based on her previous calculations that every million dollars equates to 14 jobs, and having said it would take 2,500 layoffs to close the last council on revenues projected deficit if 3-day-a-month furloughs didn't go through.
Though wanting to avoid layoffs it's still a fight the governor may have to gear up for. "A clock is ticking when you give a layoff notice, the earlier you can give it then the earlier you can put it into effect," said Lingle.
She says meanwhile departments continue to look for other spending cuts besides layoffs, and asks unions to do the same at the bargaining table. "Everybody needs to continue to talk, regardless of what happens with this decision today there are many more decisions to come, but the bottom line is none of those decisions create more money."
