Democratic governors in New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia are temporarily suspending raises for state employees or freezing pay until they can better understand the fiscal impact of the pandemic, but, thus far, Connecticut state employees are still scheduled to receive a second pay increase, projected to cost taxpayers $353 million. 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Lamonts predecessor, Dannel Malloy, once boasted to a union gathering, I am your servant. Lamont is also in public (union) service, willingly or not. Dannel Malloy included a provision to change the COLAs for state employees who retire after July 1, 2022. With this agreement, we were able to achieve those goals in a realistic way that does not imperil our future prospects and honors the great service that has and will continue to benefit our residents, Lamont said in a statement. But its unclear if the bonuses will stop many workers, since they can still collect the $2,500 bonus even if they retire anyway. Josh Geballe, the commissioner of administrative services. It will slow cost-of-living adjustments for all new retirees and raise health costs for a few, primarily high earners. Connecticut should be a place where everyone can thrive and with your help, it will be. state of ct employee step increase 2022; state of ct employee step increase 2022. Connecticut state employees on track for $353 million raise as other 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. 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. 2022 Retirement Changes for CT State Employees Driven by a surge in state employee retirements, Connecticut's spending on pension payments ballooned to a recordhigh $2.5 billion in 2022, state data shows. The Victory Channel is LIVE with Victory News! 4.28.23 - Facebook The agreement would cost the state nearly $1.9 billion over four fiscal years, according to nonpartisan fiscal analysts. Connecticuts pension COLAs, however, are set for a change one year from now prompting concerns over a potential surge in state employee retirements. 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. (Sorry for the caps, wont let me shift), Hope McKiernan The contracts allow workers to accept the $2,500 extra payment and still retire before July 1. Ned Lamont believes it will keep critical state workers on the job. Negotiators will meet again to determine raises after the time period. Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. If you value the story you just read please consider making a donation. And that was before surging state income and business tax receipts pushed this fiscal years surplus from $2.7 billion to $4 billion. 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. SEBAC employees who are employed before March . The state is also hoping the increases will also attract more people to state-level management positions. Paper versus electronic records is just one of so many, Glidden said. Part of the 2017 SEBAC Agreement between the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition and Gov. The bonuses, the GOP argued, are hardly the key to retaining workers, as the governor and other Democrats claim. "I come out of the private sector. The contract is not a done deal. State and union officials are expected to meet again in the fourth year to negotiate wages. will call the "2022 Changes") go into effect as of July 1, 2022(the "Effective Date"). There is also a large group if tier 1s who receive 3% guaranteed, no inflation adjustments. 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 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 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 minimum 2 percent COLA also means that during years in which inflation was low, they still got a boost over the inflation rate. Its nothing more than a handout.. CONNECTICUT State officials announced the tentative state employee union bargaining agreement, which calls for multiple years of raises and bonus payments. Though the list of reforms may be exhausting to review, it is far from exhaustive! 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. Ned Lamont in Hartford on May 3. Senate gives final approval to raises, bonuses for CT state employees 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 . How did state higher education system get into this financial mess The 2022 State Holiday and Check Dates calendar for State Employees. Republicans argue the SEBAC package will lead to big deficits in a few years -- and tax hikes. Connecticut holds $3.1 billion in its rainy day fund, equal to 15% of annual operating costs the maximum allowed by law. Some changes already have come, pushed by Nicholas Hermes, a West Point grad who is the statewide human resources director at DAS, hired in 2016. The deal is now final since the state Senate and House approved it. Each year includes a 2.5% general wage increase, as well as a step hike for all but the most senior workers. Bonuses are prorated for part-time employees. There is ample evidence that this is a fair contract, a reasonable contract, an affordable contract, she said of Connecticuts wage hikes. Geballes office is open to a conference room, where an erasable white board hangs on the wall, running the length of the room. listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information. DAgostino said he believes arbitrators would have awarded unions annual cost-of-living raises of 3% or 3.5% given the state governments enhanced ability to pay. 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. 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. This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Publics Members Geballe said the new administrations job is to support, broaden and accelerate those changes. CT Lawmakers Approve Raises, Bonuses For State Employees But most House Republicans who spoke in Thursdays debate predicted taxpayers wouldnt be as happy as state employee unions are. State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition. DARRELL HACKETT Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. I dont believe, fundamentally, that this agreement is fair at all.. With the benefit of five and a half months, Im increasingly confident that is true.. Republicans countered Friday that the raises and bonuses far outstrip what households in the private sector are receiving. Each year includes a 2.5% general wage increase, as well as a step hike for all but the most senior workers. 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. 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. 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. 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. That is the status quo.. Its a matter of whether we can afford it.. 2023 The Conneticut News Project. To that end, we have produced a new edition of our Charter for Change. Ned Lamont, a cable-television entrepreneur who took office on January 9 and hired Geballe two weeks later. 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. Connecticut Public Radio | 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. They also cover the next two fiscal years and potentially 2024-25 as well. Watch Live at 7:00 PM: The U.S. and the Holocaust, a film by Ken Burns | Screening & Panel Discussion . Are more state employees retiring than usual? I dont believe, fundamentally, that this agreement is fair at all.. April 23, 2023 . Lamont says the bonuses are crucial to retain state employees, who are retiring in larger-than-normal numbers this spring. Hazard or pandemic pay wasnt part of the negotiations, but will be resolved as part of another agreement, Lamont said. The $2 billion agreement also includes special lump-sum payments of $2,500 for active employees who've . 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. This is a carousel. Thats something we certainly need to work on here.. The [nonprofit] industry pegs the inflationary loss its taking on these payments at $460 million per year, according to the CT Mirror. Lamont, who said that in June 2020 when asked about the pay raise to take effect just days later on July 1. SEBAC employees who are employed before March 31, 2022 would also get a $2,500 bonus. Privacy Policy. 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. 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. The Lamont administration and SEBAC argue the deal is actually good for taxpayers, because an arbitrator would likely award workers even bigger raises. Keith is a graduate of and a former journalism instructor at the University of Connecticut. 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. State pension spending soared in 2022 - PressReader Thirty percent intend to leave the state upon retirement. Those employed on July 15, 2022 would get a $1,000 bonus if the agreement is approved. If youre going to get a bonus, youve got to stick around with us for a while, said Rep. Jay Case, R-Winsted. 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, "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. Glidden said the Malloy administration made overtures about a labor-management review of state government in concession talks in 2011 and again in 2017. McCaw said some of the prior management positions that are now unionized include the assistant attorney general, state police captains and lieutenants, supervisors with the Department of Children and Families, parole managers and deputy wardens. A wave of state employee retirements is expected in the coming months, resulting in an "unprecedented" loss of knowledge and skills, some officials say.