December 30, 2021 @ Example: Tier I Benefit Estimator: The following benefit Estimator provides estimates of the Plan B Reduction: (Tier I benefit Estimator) Cost of Living Adjustment. The deal is now final since the state Senate and House approved it. Were not attracting innovation and industry. Were still largely in a world by the way, very similar to most every other state where there are numerous processes which are still paper based, which are still highly manual, which rely on very old custom software, Geballe said. His predecessor, Robert J. Rinker, co-chaired a labor-management committee that addressed some of the same issues now under review. The package was previously approved by the House. Lamont says the bonuses are crucial to retain state employees, who are retiring in larger-than-normal numbers this spring. Gov. 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. Paper versus electronic records is just one of so many, Glidden said. They would then get the same increase on July 1, 2022 and again on July 1, 2023. DARRELL HACKETT Critics say the deal is too generous and could lead to future tax hikes. CT Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 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 best long-run thing for the state pension system is to have inflation just at or above 2%. Beginning after the July 1, 2022 cut off, the State has relinquished their obligation to adjust pension payments at least 2% (current minimum) for inflation. Some Republicans have said the hefty bonuses are only an election-year stunt from Lamont, a Democrat, to shore up his standing with his labor base. We were trying to get people not to retire well, thats not what this agreement does, said Sen. Craig Miner of Litchfield, ranking GOP senator on the Appropriations Committee. 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. 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.. Meanwhile, too much of the states work still is done on paper, and the information that is collected digitally cannot be easily shared among agencies, Geballe said. Dannel P. Malloy takes effect. 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. The Lamont administration, labor leaders and other supporters of the increases have said they believe unions could have gotten even larger raises had they rejected the states offer and gone to arbitration. To that end, we have produced a new edition of our Charter for Change. Gov. Attracting people to fill managerial roles will become even more important as the state prepares for a coming wave of employees retiring next year. Geballes office is open to a conference room, where an erasable white board hangs on the wall, running the length of the room. "I've got to recruit and keep them in order to keep our government going, he said. 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. 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. The contracts, which Gov. My hypothesis coming in was that there are going to be more similarities to how we solve some of the challenges we have than differences, private to public, Geballe said. Bonuses are prorated for part-time employees. 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. 4.28.23 We are LIVE with our 11 am/CT. Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. The 2022 State Holiday and Check Dates calendar for State Employees. Privacy Policy. 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. The contracts allow workers to accept the $2,500 extra payment and still retire before July 1. See Dannel Malloy included a provision to change the COLAs for state employees who retire after July 1, 2022. Currently, the only way to advance in most agencies is for someone to retire, leaving a specific job open. Going forward, these employees will be entitled to receive wage and benefit provisions that their union counterparts will receive, per language the governors office included in the 837-page budget implementer bill passed this legislative session, McCaw said. 2016 CT.gov | Connecticut's Official State Website, regular Ned Lamont believes it will keep critical state workers on the job. He has been the state finances reporter at CT Mirror since it launched in 2010. Connecticut State Department of Administrative Services CT.gov Home Department of Administrative Services Human Resources Business Rules and Regulations Compensation Salary Increase Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) Salary Increase Non-Represented Employees Expense Reimbursement/Meal Allowance Pay Differential Longevity Recruitment Pay CT Gov. There are also new bonuses: $2,500 next month and an extra $1,000 in mid-July. Ned Lamont's administration and a coalition of . State and union officials are expected to meet again in the fourth year to negotiate wages. Those who challenge government actions for the right reasons could be forever barred from political office unjustly by this law. The Democratic-controlled Senate voted 22-13 along party lines to approve the contracts, which cover about 46,000 workers the bulk of the states workforce. 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. They also cover the next two fiscal years and potentially 2024-25 as well. Finance panel: Next CT tax fairness study must focus on inequality, CT budget battle heats up as Lamont offers rosy financial picture, State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. 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. 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 . 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. Each year includes a 2.5% general wage increase, as well as a step hike for all but the most senior workers. But most House Republicans who spoke in Thursdays debate predicted taxpayers wouldnt be as happy as state employee unions are. Anniversary Date (AI Date) Change for Certain Non-Represented Employees (E-Item 2271), Changes Anniversary Date from July 1 to January 1 for employees assigned to the MP, MD, SE, DM, CJ & VR, Labor units 02 & 03 pay plans, DAS General Letter 193 - Anniversary Date (AI Date) for Classes Covered by Collective Bargaining, Procedures for establishing anniversary dates for employees covered by collective bargaining agreements, Salary Increase - Cost of Living (COLA) for Certain Non-Represented Employees (E-Item 2090), Authorizes 3% Cost of Living Increase effective July 1, 2014 to employees assigned to the MP, MD, SE, DM, CJ-EX & VR, Labor units 02 & 03 pay plans, Salary Increase - Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) & Annual Increase (AI) for Associate Attorney Generals (E-Item 2002), Authorizes a 3% Cost of Living Increase and a 3% Annual Increment not to exceed the maximum of the salary grade for Associate Attorney Generals, Salary Increase - Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for Certain Non-Represented Employees (E-Item 1935), Authorizes 3% Cost of Living Increase effective July 1, 2013 to employees assigned to the MP, MD, SE, DM, CJ-EX & VR, Labor units 02 & 03 pay plans, Salary Increase - Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for Certain Non-Represented Employees (E-Item 1942), Authorizes 3% Cost of Living Increase effective July 1, 2013 to specific titles assigned to the EX pay plan, Salary Increase - Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for Certain Non-Represented Employees (E-Item 2091), Authorizes 3% Cost of Living Increase effective July 1, 2014 for certain employees assigned to the EX pay plan, Salary Increase and Pay Plan Adjustments for Certain Non-Represented Employees (E-Item 2147), Authorizes a Certain Percentage salary adjustment based upon most recent pay increase for certain employees assigned to the EX pay plan, adjusts the EX pay plan and effective January 1, 2016 pay increases for EX mirrors MP, Salary Increase Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for Certain Non Represented Employees E Item 2664, Authorizes 3.5% Cost of Living Increase effective July 1, 2019 to employees assigned to the MP, MD, SE, DM, CJ-EX & VR, Labor units 02 & 03 pay plans, Salary Increase Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for Certain Non-Represented Employees (E-Item 2665), Authorizes 3.5% Cost of Living Adjustment to certain employees who are assigned to Bargaining Unit 01 effective July 1, 2019, The bargaining units ratified the agreement earlier in the week, and it now it heads to the state legislature for consideration. And Lamont reported this week that the current fiscal years budget is projected to close on June 30 with an unprecedented $3.95 billion surplus, equal to nearly 20% of entire General Fund. 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. 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. She noted that West Virginia recently granted state employees a 5% raise while Arizona bumped pay for its correction officers by 20% and for workers in many other departments by 10%. He could outsource functions, but the state already pays outside providers an enormous amount about $1.4 billion annually to nonprofits. Fazio said that it reflects the pull unions have on state government and that taxpayers will end up footing the bill. font size, Human Resources Business Rules and Regulations. We were trying to get people not to retire well, thats not what this agreement does, said Sen. Craig Miner of Litchfield, ranking GOP senator on the Appropriations Committee. How will schools be implementing to curriculum requirements? 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. The agreement would cost the state nearly $1.9 billion over four fiscal years, according to nonpartisan fiscal analysts. The Democrat-controlled House voted 96-52 to approve the contracts, after a four-hour debate during which Republicans insisted the compensation far outstrips what private-sector workers are receiving, or what taxpayers can afford. The $2,000 payment will only be available to employees who were hired or appointed before June 30, 2018. Hazard or pandemic pay wasnt part of the negotiations, but will be resolved as part of another agreement, Lamont said. Geballe is commissioner of the Department of Administrative Services, the blandly named agency at the heart of the state bureaucracy. Geballe said the new administrations job is to support, broaden and accelerate those changes. will call the "2022 Changes") go into effect as of July 1, 2022(the "Effective Date"). Administrations come and go, taking with them their priorities. In 2015, Connecticut paid $1.7 billion to 49,111 retirees, according to the Comptrollers Open Pension website. Ned Lamont administration to attract more people to stay and move into these jobs, and to make their salaries more in line with unionized workers. Weve already seen the changing workforce, Luciano said. [your comment section will not enable me to type this in lower case] stop with the money illusion. A third of the state workforce is going to retire in the next three years, Geballe said. I dont believe, fundamentally, that this agreement is fair at all.. There is ample evidence that this is a fair contract, a reasonable contract, an affordable contract, she said of Connecticuts wage hikes. 0:36. In an effort to mitigate the potential loss of thousands of state employees, Gov. Examples abound. 4:04 pm. Republicans argue the SEBAC package will lead to big deficits in a few years -- and tax hikes. Lamont could rehire retired workers as independent contractors, but then he would be paying those fees as well as funding retirement benefits. Ned Lamont's administration and already ratified by the 35 . 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. The Democratic-controlled Senate voted 22-13 along party lines to approve the contracts, which cover about 46,000 workers the bulk of the state's workforce. Concerns over energy prices, inflation, and general cost of living continue to dominate the headlines and the threat of a recession hovers over economic forecasts. Thats because state governments coffers are flush with cash as never before. Ned Lamont in Darien earlier this month. GOP minority says taxpayers got a raw deal, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). Number one: What if the state developed a way for citizens to be known across agencies by the end of 2022?. Thermo Fisher Scientific bought the company the same year. Ned Lamont previously touted the agreement as a way to retain state employees amid a wave of potential retirements. Sal Luciano, a former social worker who is the president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO, said many state agencies are understaffed. On top of that, most workers would "step" into a higher pay grade, adding an extra 2% to most raises. The CREATES report noted that 8,000 employees are eligible for retirement before July 2022 and identified 200 opportunities totaling $600 to $900 million of potential value., **Ken Girardin contributed to this article**, So of you retire prior to October 2021 and receive Your Cola 9 monthe later in July 2022 , will you receive above the normal 2 percent since inflation Is hIgh. 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. We share the concern about whats going to happen in 2022, said Dave Glidden, the executive director of CSEA SEIU Local 2001, which represents 5,000 state employees. Geballe said he just renewed his registration on-line. 90% of our revenue is contributed. 1 week of full access. Some Republicans have said the hefty bonuses are only an election-year stunt from Lamont, a Democrat, to shore up his standing with his labor base. 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. Why? As a 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. "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.". 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. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are In a letter to his co-chair in management, Rinker wrote: I predict that some day some one will want to change state employment and the report you signed off on wil be the basis for that change., Change is coming for Connecticut state employees, 2023 Hearst Media Services Connecticut, LLC, Police: Pedestrian killed in crash on Route 9 in Middletown, Police: Horses starved, kept in unsanitary conditions on CT farm, Middletown to restart Bird e-bike, scooter microtransit program, Middletown residents cheer decision to fully replace Pameacha dam, Cromwell man sentenced for carjacking date at knifepoint in 2020, Police: Suspect in Cromwell hotel robbery threatened to use a gun, Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim begins campaign for 2nd term, 2 Middletown youths charged in connection with school fight, Middlesex County Historical Society to receive 3 historic objects, East Hampton fire department marks 100 years with Bevin cowbells, Police: Pedestrian struck, killed in Route 9 crash in Middletown, New Britain bar's liquor license suspended after serving alcohol to minors, officials say, Police: Horses starved and kept in unsanitary conditions on Middletown property, Police: Threat made to Middletown schools deemed not credible, CT records first cases of new COVID variant Arcturus, transmission remains low, Police: Mystic woman killed, mother and daughter seriously hurt in Gold Star Highway crash in Groton. As many as 13,000 state employees will be eligible for retirement by July 2022, according to the state Comptroller's office. The agreement would cost the state nearly $1.9 billion over four fiscal years, according to nonpartisan fiscal analysts. Government bureaucracies are notoriously resistant to change, layered with the accretion of rules, processes, union contracts, all contributing to a workplace culture. The Connecticut State Legislature will begin its 2023 session on January 4thand will adjourn on June 7th. State employee unions offered concessions in 2009, 2011 and 2017. In 2015, Connecticut paid $1.7 billion to 49,111 retirees, according to the Comptroller's Open Pension website. CT State Employees Get Scheduled Raise Amid Economic Turmoil State employees covered by unions got a 3.5 percent pay raise and two percent step increase as the state looks at massive budget deficits. Lamont hopes the extra money will slow a wave of retirements before July 1, when pension benefits drop as part of previous union concessions. 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. Creative Commons. Connecticut lawmakers this year will consider a bill from a veteran legislator to raise the $28,000 salaries of General Assembly members for the first time in more than 20 years. Please reload the page and try again. "Often they work in dorms where there are one or two officers to keep peace among 100 of more inmates, said Sean Howard, a corrections officer at Cheshire Correctional Institution. Its, Well, thats the way weve always done it. . Manager salaries have not kept up with union salaries so in a lot of cases you have mangers that are earning less than the employees reporting into them, said Melissa McCaw, the states budget director. Retired state employees now get annual cost-of-living adjustments: a minimum of 2 percent and a maximum of 7 percent, depending on inflation. Marc can be reached at, Connecticut saw a 1,600 decrease in nonfarm industry positions in December, while November private sector gains (3,300) were revised down [], Eviction cases in Hartford and Bridgeport have remained far below historical averages since the Supreme Court overturned the federal eviction []. Though the list of reforms may be exhausting to review, it is far from exhaustive! It is tone deaf and appears to even regular folks like me to be pandering to special interests in an election year.". Connecticut holds $3.1 billion in its rainy day fund, equal to 15% of annual operating costs the maximum allowed by law. 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 Lamont administration, labor leaders and other supporters of the increases have said they believe unions could have gotten even larger raises had they rejected the states offer and gone to arbitration. 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. Osten said the raises reflect the valuable work state employees provide daily, and particularly throughout the coronavirus pandemic. But that surge followed a nearly decade-long stretch in which state tax receipts from the same source badly underperformed. 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. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "ad6f3785a83847b97c7976185623d348" );document.getElementById("h4d5fc382f").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); 216 Main StreetHartford, CT 06106[emailprotected], 2021 Yankee Institute for Public Policy. 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. 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! 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. There is also a large group if tier 1s who receive 3% guaranteed, no inflation adjustments. Your pension is subject to an annual Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. "I'm very concerned this is unsustainable, opponent Kevin Maloney told lawmakers at a public hearing Monday. The state is so intractable about its longterm bureaucratic practices. Geballe said the administration has a vision of where to go with technology, primarily by offering consumers and businesses a digital portal to state government. As we go into a time period where we expect a significant number of retirements, we want to make sure that we can attract and retain top talent across all of our agencies whether in management or non-management positions, McCaw said. If you value the story you just read please consider making a donation. I think were at a time where change is coming, whether people like it or not. But its unclear if the bonuses will stop many workers, since they can still collect the $2,500 bonus even if they retire anyway. The Office of Fiscal Analysis estimates the package will cost the state $1.87 billion over four years. That will be followed by 2.5 percent raises on July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023. The raises do not apply to employees in the legislative and judicial branches or higher education. . community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years. Part-timers would be eligible for prorated bonuses. 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The Charter provides commonsense reforms to make Connecticuts government work for its residents. The House, where Democrats also hold a majority, approved the package 96-52 on Thursday. Part-timers would be eligible for prorated bonuses. Its also imperative that we do so. Part of the 2017 SEBAC Agreement between the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition and Gov. Josh Geballe, the commissioner of administrative services. Automation is a word that makes unions nervous, even as they acknowledge the nature of work is changing. This is a carousel. It could be because it is not supported, or that JavaScript is intentionally disabled. The nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis estimates the contract will cost the state $1.87 billion over three years. Marc has a Master of Fine Arts degree from Western Connecticut State University. Watch Live at 7:00 PM: The U.S. and the Holocaust, a film by Ken Burns | Screening & Panel Discussion . 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. 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. If youre going to get a bonus, youve got to stick around with us for a while, said Rep. Jay Case, R-Winsted. In a bill drafted . 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. Thirty percent intend to leave the state upon retirement. 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. 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. April 23, 2023 . But more than that, this is a necessary contract so that we can hold onto the best and brightest., This contract gives the state flexibility when hiring the most high-need jobs, recognizes the incredible institutional knowledge on our team, and the work state employees have done throughout the pandemic, said Lamont spokeswoman Lora Rae Anderson. About 1,700 management-level state employees will receive pay raises, an effort by Gov. There are nine classifications for custodians, 12 for assistant attorneys general, and a whopping 221 for program directors. 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. The program also will allow the state to abandon plans for a costly upgrade to its email system.
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