As my brother said, “If they’re non-essential employees, what are they doing on the payroll to begin with?”
I know I’m beating my head against the wall on this forum, but...
There is widespread misunderstanding of who gets furloughed and why. These are people whose functions are not directly involved in public safety. It doesn’t mean their functions are not needed.
Example, entire HR departments are furloughed, but that is clearly an essential function for any business.
Individuals can be nonessential; I’ve worked with several. But that’s not what this is.