State employee unions offered concessions in 2009, 2011 and 2017. Pay raise for 46,000 state workers clears key hurdle - News 12 Networks Glidden said the Malloy administration made overtures about a labor-management review of state government in concession talks in 2011 and again in 2017. The House, where Democrats also hold a majority, approved the package 96-52 on Thursday. Pay Raise Victory! Welcome News, Long Overdue - TSEU-CWA 6186 According to the Office of Legislative Research in their analysis of a potential retirement wave, COLAs for new retirees will match the CPI-W during years it is 2 percent or less. I would say that largely we havent seen that partnership happen, but we continue to have the door wide open, Glidden said. Your email address will not be published. Lamont, who said that in June 2020 when asked about the pay raise to take effect just days later on July 1. So why might Lamont do something so patently unfair and so politically toxic as awarding pay raises to already overcompensated state workers while most Connecticut citizens and voters have been and still are hurting very badly? The deal is now final since the state Senate and House approved it. They also cover the next two fiscal years and potentially 2024-25 as well. In addition, full-time workers would receive a $2,500 bonus in mid-May and an additional $1,000 bonus in mid-July. Connecticuts chief administrative officer keeps a spotless desk. Republicans argue the SEBAC package will lead to big deficits in a few years -- and tax hikes. Connecticut has more per capita debt than most other states, and those long-term obligations are expected to put considerable pressure on state finances for decades to come. Osten said the raises reflect the valuable work state employees provide daily, and particularly throughout the coronavirus pandemic. I dont believe, fundamentally, that this agreement is fair at all.. building a betterand more civilConnecticut to live, work, and play. "The state has to live within its means just like the families and businesses we serve and represent," Lamont said in a statement when the deal was announced. House passes raises, bonuses for CT state employees Keith is a graduate of and a former journalism instructor at the University of Connecticut. So, more outsourcing would compound the squeeze on the nonprofits, either rendering their condition even more precarious or necessitating a significant increase in their reimbursement rates. Thats when more stringent limits on state retirement benefits, negotiated as part of a 2017 concessions deal with unions, take effect. Besides, all three of these difficult and only marginally helpful alternatives share one huge liability: The SEBAC unions will fight them tooth and nail, because all three reduce the number of unionized state employees paying dues to the union. The board has voted to approve the following cost of living increase for January 2023. Automation is a word that makes unions nervous, even as they acknowledge the nature of work is changing. The Lamont administration and SEBAC argue the deal is actually good for taxpayers, because an arbitrator would likely award workers even bigger raises. State retirees to see pension bump as inflation jumps 6 percent But Gov. The agreement includes: 2.5% general wage increases in each of fiscal years 2022, 2023, and 2024. Michelle Lee. There are nine classifications for custodians, 12 for assistant attorneys general, and a whopping 221 for program directors. Republicans also said they appreciate the hard work of state employees, particularly during the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, but the issue isnt as simple as some believe. They would then get the same increase on July 1, 2022 and again on July 1, 2023. Part of the 2017 SEBAC Agreement between the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition and Gov. Thats because state governments coffers are flush with cash as never before. In 2015, Connecticut paid $1.7 billion to 49,111 retirees, according to the Comptrollers Open Pension website. Lamont said the state has to live within its means, but state employees did extraordinary work during the worst of the pandemic and inflation has increased costs. The state and unions have the option of continuing the same level of raises for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, or they can negotiate different compensation levels. Theres no way to take on the legacy of mass incarceration other than to undo it, one step at a time. Connecticut holds $3.1 billion in its rainy day fund, equal to 15% of annual operating costs the maximum allowed by law. 3.2K views, 182 likes, 87 loves, 302 comments, 161 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from The Victory Channel: The Victory Channel is LIVE with Victory News! Now shes asking for help herself, One musician remembers what it was like to tour the world with singer and activist Harry Belafonte, Connecticut COVID data: Your town's infection rate, hospitalizations & vaccinations, Tracking health threats, one sewage sample at a time, COVID during pregnancy may alter brain development in boys. For some of Connecticuts highest paid pensioners like Jack Blechner, a former UConn Health Center physician who received $342,325.14 in 2020, the COLA amounts to an additional $12,323.70 per year. The contracts allow workers to accept the $2,500 extra payment and still retire before July 1. Budget panel endorses raises, bonuses for CT state workers Full legislature expected to vote before May 4 by Keith M. Phaneuf April 18, 2022 @ 1:08 pm Rob Baril, the president of SEIU 1199,. Last March, in a report that received relatively little media coverage, Boston Consulting Group documented that 27 percent of the state workforce is eligible to retire before June 30, 2022, and that about three-quarters lean toward retirement. But Osten said the agreements are essential to maintain a state workforce that is at its smallest size since the 1950s, an argument Lamont has made as well. Government bureaucracies are notoriously resistant to change, layered with the accretion of rules, processes, union contracts, all contributing to a workplace culture. Ned Lamont in Hartford on May 3. As a State of Connecticut employee you may be entitled to a host of benefits that are not only attractive, but also may be portable should your career . It is unsustainable and, more plainly, unjust. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Become Flash Points in Debate over For retirees who receive their COLAs in January, the trend was more in their favor with three years of inflation increases topping 2 percent. Prior to joining CT Mirror Keith was State Capitol bureau chief for The Journal Inquirer of Manchester, a reporter for the Day of New London, and a former contributing writer to The New York Times. When the CPI-W rises above 2 percent, those retirees will receive either 2 percent or a percentage of the rate of inflation, depending on how high the rate rises. Here are five things to know about the deal: Employees covered by the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition would get a 2.5 percent wage increase and step increases retroactive to July 1, 2021. The BCG study was supposed to facilitate a third approach. Watching is one of those who spoke against it, Sen. Craig Miner. Ned Lamont contracted with the Boston Consulting Group for a report of how to increase state government efficiency. ThanKs Vin, Lyle Scruggs And while some criticized the bonuses, the Hamden lawmaker and others say they would save the state money over the long haul. Geballe is no stranger to bureaucracies and the opportunities, challenges and necessities of wrenching change: He spent 11 years at IBM, which employs 350,000 people worldwide and preaches that the world is in the midst of a fourth industrial revolution, a convergence of new technologies powered by cloud computing. Connecticut should be a place where everyone can thrive and with your help, it will be. Geballe said the new administrations job is to support, broaden and accelerate those changes. With only 41 weeks remaining to replace retiring employees, the Lamont administration is fast approaching a severe manpower crisis. April 23, 2023 . The comptrollers office cautions that some those eligible to retire will not yet have earned full retirement benefits, giving some an incentive to stay. Despite Lamonts claims to the contrary, it is highly likely that he will award state employees significant future wage increases as well as a generous modification of cost-of-living adjustments to their pensions after their retirement. But that surge followed a nearly decade-long stretch in which state tax receipts from the same source badly underperformed. state of ct employee step increase 2022; state of ct employee step increase 2022. The Florida House and Senate are working on a budget whose bottom line for state workers is a $224 million pay raise - that's about $44 a week, ($2,300 annually) for the 97,000 employees in the . 2023 The Conneticut News Project. Ideal timing for the announcement would be between Christmas and the New Year. Both are signs of things to come in state government or more precisely, things to disappear. And that was before surging state income and business tax receipts pushed this fiscal years surplus from $2.7 billion to $4 billion. State Employee Benefits and Resources - ct By, Corporate Support: Advertising & Sponsorship, See stories by Keith M. Phaneuf / CTMirror.org, Love Wins at WCSU benefit concert for saxophonists daughter lost at Sandy Hook, Week in CT News: Se'Cret Pierce killing, what's in our water, Zero interest loans are back for some home buyers in Connecticut, Erica Lafferty has been fighting since Sandy Hook. Management-level CT state employees to get 7.5 percent raises In the past, similar planned changes to retirement benefits have triggered waves of retirements before the changes take place, the OLR report states. The agreements, which unions ratified earlier this spring, are retroactive to the start of this fiscal year, which began last July 1. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. But Osten said the agreements are essential to maintain a state workforce that is at its smallest size since the 1950s, an argument Lamont has made as well. That is the status quo.. The non-unionized managers will receive a one-time bonus of $2,000 and 7.5% in wage increases, including a 3.5% cost-of-living increase and up to 4% annual increments. Opinion: Gov. Consistently, studies show that the compensation of Connecticut state employees exceeds average private sector compensation by one of the highest margins of the 50 states. Tier II is a non-contributory defined benefit retirement plan for most members. He is one of the mid-career, private-sector executives to join the administration of Gov. By 2020, the state paid $2.2 billion to 55,348 retirees. CONNECTICUT The state Senate gave final approval to the raise and bonus package for state employees. State retirees receive minimum 2 percent COLAs per year regardless of the inflation rate and a maximum of 6 percent or 7.5 percent, depending on their retirement tier. Dannel Malloy included a provision to change the COLAs for state employees who retire after July 1, 2022. The increases, part of a four-year package negotiated by Gov. "I've got to recruit and keep them in order to keep our government going, he said. Each of the 3.6 million residents in Connecticut rely on the critical public services state workers provide whether you are standing in line at the DMV, attending a technical school, community college or state university, getting treatment at UConn Health, driving on our roads and bridges, enjoying a state park or beach, or any of the other ubiquitous public services you will be uplifted by these fair and honorable contracts, the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition wrote in a statement after the Senate vote. As many as 13,000 state employees will be eligible for retirement by July 2022, according to the state Comptroller's office. People know not to bring paper in here, said Josh Geballe, a former IBM executive and tech entrepreneur. Nothing stands in the way of the ever-increasing generosity of state employee compensation. DAS is the states landlord and construction manager, its hiring hall and purchasing agent, and, perhaps most vitally in the digital age, its information technology office. The changes will only affect those who retire after July of 2022, but according to the OLR report, historically such changes have resulted in a larger number of employees retiring before the cut-off date. Sen. Cathy Osten defending the SEBAC deal. Ellettsville considering $10,000 raise for every full-time employee Photos: Iconic Landmarks To Visit Across CT. The Senate gave final approval Friday to a four-year package of raises for state employees that includes $3,500 in bonuses to help stem a surge in worker retirements. Geballes office is open to a conference room, where an erasable white board hangs on the wall, running the length of the room. The Malloy administration hired a customer-service expert to improve service at the much-maligned Department of Motor Vehicles, and Lamont won passage of legislation reducing the need for residents to go to the DMV: Drivers licenses now are good for eight years, not six; and renewals of vehicle registrations come every three years, not two. How will state and local budgets be affected by fewer federal resources? To that end, we have produced a new edition of our Charter for Change. 2 Upcoming Changes for CT State Employees Pensions in 2022 Is Ron DeSantis good for state workers? We look at the record Sal Luciano, a former social worker who is the president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO, said many state agencies are understaffed. There is ample evidence that this is a fair contract, a reasonable contract, an affordable contract, she said of Connecticuts wage hikes. This proposed contract is a raw deal for the working people of this state, said Sen. Ryan Fazio, R-Greenwich, who noted state workers, on average, would receive more than $10,000 in total added compensation over four years. The Office of Fiscal Analysis estimates the package will cost the state $1.87 billion over four years. Ned Lamont's administration and a coalition of . Union leaders say the workforce is ready, if wary. Dannel P. Malloy takes effect. CT Lawmakers Approve Raises, Bonuses For State Employees I think all of the stakeholders lament it, but then find the excuses for why we cant change it. Ned Lamont says are essential to help stem a surge in state employee retirements, are expected to be ratified Friday by the Senate, where Democrats also hold a majority. Since 1997, the State has used a formula to calculate the minimum cost of living adjustment. The agreements, which unions ratified earlier this spring, are retroactive to the start of this fiscal year, which began last July 1. Connecticut holds $3.1 billion in its rainy day fund, equal to 15% of annual operating costs the maximum allowed by law. There is also a large group if tier 1s who receive 3% guaranteed, no inflation adjustments. In exchange for lifting the debt ceiling, the bill would cap overall 2024 spending to 2022 levels -- about a $130 billion cut -- and limit growth in spending to 1% annually over the next decade. Get CT Mirror emails in your inbox daily. The state also faces a potential wave of retirements. The minimum wage in Connecticut is scheduled to increase to $15 per hour on June 1, 2023. . The Office of the State Comptroller reports that state government found a way to spend $47.11 billion in 2022 and, if trends continue, we can expect that number to grow even more going forward. Each year includes a 2.5% general wage increase, as well as a step hike for all but the most senior workers. Not this weeks data release showing that the median American household saw its income fall 2.9 percent last year while Connecticut state employees got a 5.5 percent wage increase. Connecticut state employees on track for $353 million raise as other In addition, full-time workers would receive a $2,500 bonus in mid-May and another $1,000 bonus in mid-July. House and Senate negotiators expressed optimism Monday as they began trading budget proposals, despite gaps in spending over issues such as public schools, land preservation and tourism marketing. As a federal EPA employee recently told the Washingtonian in a piece about the Trump administration, I fully intend to outlast these people.. Register to attend in-person | Register to attend virtually. Greenwich resident Red Jahncke is president of The Townsend Group International, a business consultancy in Connecticut, and a freelance columnist published in national and Connecticut newspapers. But we have a bonus that starts after July 1. In hiring the 44-year-old Geballe, the governor said he was bringing a fresh approach to a state government badly in need of modernization. The year over year increases drive up the amount paid out by Connecticut's severely underfunded State Employee Retirement System. The House of Representatives approved a four-year package of raises Thursday that includes $3,500 in bonuses later this spring and summer for about 46,000 unionized state employees. State and union officials are expected to meet again in the fourth year to negotiate wages. The alternatives are suboptimal. The Senate gave final approval Friday to a four-year package of raises for state employees that includes $3,500 in bonuses to help stem a surge in worker retirements. More than 3,400 state employees have either retired or filed their written intentions to do so between January and March 31 alone, and that total is expected to grow considerably between now and July 1. Employees would also get a $2,500 bonus if they are employed as of March 31, 2022, and a $1,000 if they are employed July 1, 2022. But most House Republicans who spoke in Thursdays debate predicted taxpayers wouldnt be as happy as state employee unions are. There will be no guaranteed minimum for those who retire after July 1, 2022, and their first potential COLA would come in 30 months, not 12. Now shes asking for help herself, One musician remembers what it was like to tour the world with singer and activist Harry Belafonte, Connecticut COVID data: Your town's infection rate, hospitalizations & vaccinations, Tracking health threats, one sewage sample at a time, COVID during pregnancy may alter brain development in boys. CONNECTICUT The state Senate gave final approval to the raise and bonus package for state employees. State pension spending soared in 2022 - PressReader The budget is expected to be a record high for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, which will start July 1. And that total is expected to grow considerably between now and July 1. Let us be clear. And thats why we want to work with you to build a broad-based coalition to encourage sound policy reforms to enable Connecticut residents to forge a better future for themselves and their families. Corporate Support: Advertising & Sponsorship, saves the state about $150 million over the next decade. "I come out of the private sector. Private-sector employees can only dream of having that, said Sen. Henri Martin, R-Bristol. 0:36. Thats a big risk, but its also an amazing opportunity to reinvent how we do things, to bring in technology to automate a lot of the manual processes that can be more efficiently done by software today.. What can be done to lower home heating bills? Senate gives final approval to raises, bonuses for CT state employees Senate approves raises, bonuses for Conn. state workers - WTNH.com CT Saw Jobs Lost in December, Revised Private Sector Gains from 3,300 to 300, Evictions remain significantly down in Bridgeport, Hartford after end of eviction moratorium, Film Tax Credit Expansion Receives Criticism Across the Aisle, Its Christmas Time for the General Assembly but Not Everyone is Happy, UConn Says New Freedom of Expression Bill Not Necessary, Testimony in Opposition of HB 6929 Submitted by Bryce Chinault, Director of External Affairs, Connecticuts Voting Tabulators are Unreliable and Unserviceable, Over 200,000 people have moved out of Connecticut since 2010, as state economy declined, Dont Be Mean to Government Officials or Theyll Take Free Speech Away, Public Sector Job Growth Beats Out Private Sector In July. 'Change is coming' for Connecticut state employees [your comment section will not enable me to type this in lower case] stop with the money illusion. That will be followed by 2.5 percent raises on July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023. The one thing we know about Ned Lamont or any Democrat, for that matter is that he will not fight the unions. in its annual Fiscal Accountability Report. The raises will cost the state $13.3 million and the bonuses $2 million. Retired state employees receive a cost-of-living adjustment every year in either January or July depending on the employees retirement date based on the CPI-W for the previous 12 months. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. SEBAC employees who are employed before March . The states robust, short-term fiscal position is a sugar high that will pass when the federal stimulus money goes away, ODea said. Good question Hope I cant find the answer either. Keith has spent most of his 31 years as a reporter specializing in state government finances, analyzing such topics as income tax equity, waste in government and the complex funding systems behind Connecticuts transportation and social services networks. Ned Lamont in Darien earlier this month. That includes Gov. Geballe is commissioner of the Department of Administrative Services, the blandly named agency at the heart of the state bureaucracy. Connecticut Property Taxes In Every Town: Who Pays The Most? Ned Lamont and president of state's network of community colleges square off in showdown over state funding. But the journey to get from here to there, and the ordering of initiatives, is very complex to think about.. Hed also like to talk about a classification system that is flexible and provides a career ladder. We enable organizations to maximize Sales target achievement using our Sales Incentive & Performance Management Technology. Fazio said that it reflects the pull unions have on state government and that taxpayers will end up footing the bill. The Connecticut State Legislature will begin its 2023 session on January 4thand will adjourn on June 7th. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Workers and Clerical Workers known as the CPI-W increased 6 percent between July of 2020 and July of 2021, according the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with the price of nearly everything increasing substantially in recent months. Why? More than 46,000 Connecticut state employees could soon get a significant raise -- and bonuses - thanks to a new union contract that won approval in a key legislative committee Monday. It is cloud-based, lessening the states reliance on servers, improving security and taking a step toward the ultimate goal of easing the sharing of data and documents among agencies. Our economy has grown at one of the slowest rates in the nation for the past decade, and we are getting outpaced year after year. Note: the above image is a chart for the CPI-U, not the CPI-W. Part-timers would be eligible for prorated bonuses. State law calls for equity in salary adjustments between union and non-union employees. The State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition represents 35 different bargaining units and more than 40,000 state employees. House passes raises, bonuses for CT state employees By Keith M. Phaneuf / CTMirror.org Published April 21, 2022 at 5:22 PM EDT The House of Representatives approved a four-year package of raises Thursday that includes $3,500 in bonuses later this spring and summer for about 46,000 unionized state employees. Not the fact that Connecticut has had a big contraction in its workforce during the pandemic of about 6 percent and a top 10 unemployment rate, currently exceeding 7 percent, versus a national average nearing 5 percent. This deal was billed as a retention effort, said Rep. Laura Devlin, R- Fairfield, who is campaigning for lieutenant governor as the running mate of GOP gubernatorial contender Bob Stefanowski of Madison. All Rights Reserved. The state is also hoping the increases will also attract more people to state-level management positions. Weve already seen the changing workforce, Luciano said. Ned Lamont, a cable-television entrepreneur who took office on January 9 and hired Geballe two weeks later. Republicans countered Friday that the raises and bonuses far outstrip what households in the private sector are receiving. "I think we're in great shape. State finances also are being supported this fiscal year and next by about $3 billion in emergency federal pandemic relief. Because of the high rate of inflation, the July COLAs are calculated based on 60 percent of CPI-W, which translates to a bump of 3.6 percent as of July 2021. The $2 billion agreement also includes special lump-sum payments of $2,500 for active employees who've . Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are "But this is also a unique situation where state employees did extraordinary work during a paradigm-altering pandemic, inflation has concurrently increased, and the state workforce could potentially undergo significant changes due to retirements and uncompetitive wages.". 1 Killed, Child Critically Injured In Major Highway Crash: CT News, Meteorologist Leaves TV News To Take Over Family Business: CT News, 3 Soldiers Killed After 2 U.S. Army Helicopters Crash In Alaska. Similar deals would pass automatically if the legislature didnt take action in the past, but a 2017 law requires approval from both chambers. His predecessor, Robert J. Rinker, co-chaired a labor-management committee that addressed some of the same issues now under review. Topics you care about, straight to your inbox, More than 46,000 Connecticut state employees could soon get a significant raise -- and bonuses thanks to a new union. building a betterand more civilConnecticut to live, work, and play. The contracts allow workers to accept the $2,500 extra payment and still retire before July 1. As a They are our people, who we count on each day to make us safe, she said. It includes 2.5% raises for four straight years that would be retroactive to July 1, 2021. The virtually inevitable pay hikes and favorable benefit modifications will then be classified as hardship pay to reward for employees for their phantom frontline service.. Employees who retire after that date will get less lucrative retirement benefits. 10:27 pm, When will REtirees see the 6% in pensions im tier 2, TO vinny, you get The first increase 9 months after you retire, 60% of CPI W. Marc was a 2014 Robert Novak Journalism Fellow and his work has appeared in The Federalist, American Thinker, The Skeptical Inquirer, World Net Daily and Real Clear Policy. Its a matter of whether we can afford it.. Connecticut is facing pressure from the private sector, municipalities and other states for its workers, Osten said, adding that the pandemic has made many state jobs less attractive. The bonuses, the GOP argued, are hardly the key to retaining workers, as Lamont has claimed. Gusty winds add new twist to brush fires in CT, officials say, What's next for the nuclear waste that's been in CT for 50 years, Building emissions are a key climate change contributor in CT, After decades in unmarked grave, CT homicide victim put to rest. Jessica Hill / Associated Press More than 40,000 unionized state employees would receive $3,500 each in special bonuses by mid-July under tentative contract agreements reached this week with. Its members include scientists, engineers and information technology professionals.
Categories
