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. That marked a 9 percent increase from the previous year, which was the largest yearover-year change since at least 2014-2015, according to a CT Insider analysis of data from the . building a betterand more civilConnecticut to live, work, and play. The agreements, which unions ratified earlier this spring, are retroactive to the start of this fiscal year, which began last 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? State government not only enjoys a $3.1 billion rainy day fund, equal to 15% of annual operating costs the maximum allowed by law but the current fiscal year is on pace to close an unprecedented $4 billion in the black. It could be because it is not supported, or that JavaScript is intentionally disabled. The raises will cost the state $13.3 million and the bonuses $2 million. House passes raises, bonuses for CT state employees 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. The bonuses, the GOP argued, are hardly the key to retaining workers, as the governor and other Democrats claim. Weve seen clerical workers go from a high of almost 9,000 to 4,000.. Get CT Mirror briefings with enterprise reporting, investigations and more in your inbox daily. Lamonts predecessor, Dannel Malloy, once boasted to a union gathering, I am your servant. Lamont is also in public (union) service, willingly or not. Ned Lamont believes it will keep critical state workers on the job. Register to attend in-person | Register to attend virtually. Today were living in a post-COVID world, where employees and not employers are ruling the job market, said Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, co-chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee. Lamont says the bonuses are crucial to retain state employees, who are retiring in larger-than-normal numbers this spring. Best Sales Performance Management Software Company The. Thats when more stringent limits on state retirement benefits, negotiated as part of a 2017 concessions deal with unions, take effect. Gov. Required fields are marked *. 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. Those who challenge government actions for the right reasons could be forever barred from political office unjustly by this law. If inflation were 1% Then the absolute COLA would be low, but the burden on the state budget and taxpayers would be growing, because inflation under 2% leads to a real pension burden increase. They are our people, who we count on each day to make us safe, she said. SEBAC employees who are employed before March . community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years. Attracting people to fill managerial roles will become even more important as the state prepares for a coming wave of employees retiring next year. At Yankee Institute, we know Connecticut is a state with boundless opportunity, and we intend to help make our state more than a place where people are just able to make ends meet!
