Hundreds of state employees will start losing their jobs tomorrow beginning with nonunion, exempt workers, but the exact number — and who — is still being worked out, the head of Hawai'i's human resources department said yesterday.

Over the next two Fridays, an estimated 1,100 state employees will be laid off as part of previously announced job cuts because of the state's estimated $1 billion budget deficit. Approximately 400 of the lost positions fall in the nonunion category.

Marie C. Laderta, director of the Department of Human Resources Development, hopes to have firm numbers on nonunion layoffs as soon as today.

On Nov. 20, roughly 700 union members belonging primarily to the Hawai'i Government Employees Association will be laid off, although the exact number won't be known until Monday or Tuesday, Laderta said.

HGEA officials said this week that they and their members are awaiting information from the state on who — and how many of their members — will be laid off.

"Everybody's waiting to hear from the Department of Human Resources Development," said HGEA spokeswoman Jodi Chai.

Even after the Nov. 20 layoffs of union members, some confusion and anxiety is likely to continue because some veteran employees who will be laid off will get to return to work by exercising their seniority — or "bumping" — rights, Laderta said.

"There's still a little bit of bumping going on right now," she said.

Because there is no deadline for union members to exercise their seniority rights, Laderta said it's likely that bumping will continue after the union members are laid off next week.

"Everybody who will be laid off should be out by the first week of December," she said.

FIRST BIG CUT

Furloughs of public school teachers and other state workers have garnered much of the attention as Gov. Linda Lingle tries to reduce labor costs.

But the layoffs that begin tomorrow mark the first outright, large-scale loss of jobs among state workers as part of the cost-cutting.

Even with the savings from furloughs, Lingle has said the layoffs are necessary to help close the budget deficit.

She ordered the layoffs after her furlough plans were successfully challenged in court by public worker unions. Two unions subsequently agreed to furloughs as part of new labor contracts.

Critics of the layoffs, including some state lawmakers, have questioned the administration's rationale for laying off agricultural inspectors and most of the state's film office, saying they play different but crucial roles in Hawai'i's economy.

The state continues to negotiate with the University of Hawai'i Professional Assembly on a new contract.

The Lingle administration and the blue-collar United Public Workers are also still in contract negotiations. The state and the UPW's public-safety unit are in binding arbitration that may not conclude until December.

TEACHER FURLOUGHS

The Hawai'i State Teachers Association has agreed to a contract that calls for 17 furlough days a year for 10-month teachers and 21 furlough days a year for year-round teachers.

The two-year contract includes a provision that no layoffs of licensed, tenured teachers will occur during the 2009-2011 fiscal years.

Each teacher furlough day saves the state approximately $5 million.

In October, the HGEA approved a two-year contract that includes 18 furlough days this fiscal year and 24 furlough days next fiscal year for most state workers represented by the union.

The HGEA furloughs are equivalent to about an 8 percent pay cut and are expected to save the state $204 million over two years.