If no budget agreement is reached and state government is forced to shut down on July 1, state workers losing their jobs could be eligible for severance, accrued vacation and compensatory payments that could total tens of millions of dollarss, a union official told the St. Cloud Times.

Minnesota Association of Professional Employees is advising its 13,000 professional state workers members to prepare for a state government shutdown.

Only workers deemed essential would remain on the job during a shutdown, and there's no determination yet of who that might be, other than prison guards.

Richard Kolodziejski, legislative affairs director for MAPE, said union agreements dictate payments to laid-off workers, and that could mean “tens of millions” of dollars for all state workers, he told the paper.

The union has asked the state's Minnesota Management & Budget office for a better estimate of the layoff costs.

Said the paper:

Kolodziejski predicts a shutdown would translate to “a lot of pain for a lot of people,” not just state workers. For example, he says businesses that depend on tourism would be hurt by the closure of state parks.

 “This is going to impact a lot of people who are living paycheck to paycheck,” Kolodziejski said. “This is going to be a black eye on the state of Minnesota.”

MAPE gives other advice to members in a statement on its website. The union tells workers to start saving, contact creditors, visit their doctors before the shutdown and postpone big purchases.