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. . CT State Employees Get Scheduled Raise Amid Economic Turmoil The raises provided to state managers mirror what the state provided to union workers over the past four years under the 2017 agreement with the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition. 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. In 2015, Connecticut paid $1.7 billion to 49,111 retirees, according to the Comptrollers Open Pension website. We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. DAS says the process was cheaper, nearly paperless, and attracted a diverse pool of applicants with a third more women and minorities and a 105-percent increase in veterans. Ned Lamont believes it will keep critical state workers on the job. 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. Though the list of reforms may be exhausting to review, it is far from exhaustive! To that end, we have produced a new edition of our Charter for Change. building a betterand more civilConnecticut to live, work, and play. Its, Well, thats the way weve always done it. . November 3, 2021 @ That's an incentive to keep people working after that retirement date.". As we noted in a report andCT Mirrorop-ed last year, the debate over whether were in a national recession really misses the point for Connecticut residents. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. 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. 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. In the prison system, there are separate classifications for supervisors of correctional industries, auto mechanics, data entry, printing, clothing, and general industries. 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. Ned Lamont believes it will keep critical state workers on the job. 2023 January COLA Increase Approved - portal.ct.gov state of ct employee step increase 2022; state of ct employee step increase 2022. More than 30 state employee bargaining units have ratified contracts that would provide more than 40,000 workers with $3,500 in bonuses by July, along with three years of raises, the State. House Approves $1.9B State Employee Raises, Bonuses Deal 0:04. As a That helps focus peoples minds and increase their willingness to change and to take risks. Automation is a word that makes unions nervous, even as they acknowledge the nature of work is changing. There are nine classifications for custodians, 12 for assistant attorneys general, and a whopping 221 for program directors. 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. By the latest estimates of the comptroller's office, 14,764 state employees a quarter of the workforce will be eligible to retire on July 1, 2022, when a concession deal negotiated in . An arbitrator had already awarded some unions a 3% general wage hike for 2021-22 before Lamont and labor negotiators settled on a smaller cost-of-living bump and bonuses. 2:19 pm. The bonuses, the GOP argued, are hardly the key to retaining workers, as the governor and other Democrats claim. They would then get the same increase on July 1, 2022 and again on July 1, 2023. Find State Employee Benefits, Union Contractions, Equal Employment Opportunity Information, Tuition Reimbursement . Theres no way to take on the legacy of mass incarceration other than to undo it, one step at a time. The $3 billion in budget reserves and $4 billion in projected surplus pales in comparison with the $95.4 billion in long-term unfunded obligations Connecticut has, ODea said, referring to the combined pension, retirement health care and bonded debt the Lamont administration listed last November in its annual Fiscal Accountability Report. Part-timers would be eligible for prorated bonuses. 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,. (His mother, Shelley, a lawyer and professor of public health at Yale, is a founding board member of the nonprofit Connecticut News Project Inc., operator of CTMirror.org.). The 2022 State Holiday and Check Dates calendar for State Employees. In addition, full-time workers would receive a $2,500 bonus in mid-May and another $1,000 bonus in mid-July. Republican House Leader Vincent Candelora of Branford, in a statement following Thursdays announcement questioned how the raises will affect not only current contract talks with union negotiators for rank-and-file workers who want more pay, but also the work of a new task force charged with studying this issue and reporting back to the legislature., Candelora attributed the structural gulf between non-union managers and unionized employees to a vicious circle that's fueled by people at the Capitol whose baseline position is to give state employee unions everything they want.. I think all of the stakeholders lament it, but then find the excuses for why we cant change it. Critics say the deal is too generous and could lead to future tax hikes. "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. We have three years to plan for that, Geballe said. functions now spread across agencies, just as Raymond recently struck a five-year deal with Microsoft that replaces a dozen separate agency agreements. The proposed contract is generous. Geballe is commissioner of the Department of Administrative Services, the blandly named agency at the heart of the state bureaucracy. And that total is expected to grow considerably between now and July 1. Thats when more stringent limits on state retirement benefits, negotiated as part of a 2017 concessions deal with unions, take effect. While annual retirements usually range from 2,000 to 2,500 per calendar year, more than 3,400 state employees have either retired or filed their written intentions to do so between January and March 31, 2022, alone. Your pension is subject to an annual Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). 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. Tier II is a non-contributory defined benefit retirement plan for most members. The agreements, which unions ratified earlier this spring, are retroactive to the start of this fiscal year, which began last July 1. Photos: Iconic Landmarks To Visit Across CT. The BCG study was supposed to facilitate a third approach. The [nonprofit] industry pegs the inflationary loss its taking on these payments at $460 million per year, according to the CT Mirror. He is one of the mid-career, private-sector executives to join the administration of Gov. The states robust, short-term fiscal position is a sugar high that will pass when the federal stimulus money goes away, ODea said. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Become Flash Points in Debate over DARRELL HACKETT Watch Live at 7:00 PM: The U.S. and the Holocaust, a film by Ken Burns | Screening & Panel Discussion . The nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis estimates the contract will cost the state $1.87 billion over three years. 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. By the latest estimates of the comptrollers office, 14,764 state employees a quarter of the workforce will be eligible to retire on July 1, 2022, when a concession deal negotiated in 2017 by the administration of Gov. 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. "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.". [your comment section will not enable me to type this in lower case] stop with the money illusion. The state also faces a potential wave of retirements. Osten said the raises reflect the valuable work state employees provide daily, and particularly throughout the coronavirus pandemic. CT Gov. State retirees to see pension bump as inflation jumps 6 percent The contract is not a done deal. The new deal will bring Microsoft 365 software to all state agencies. 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The Charter provides commonsense reforms to make Connecticuts government work for its residents. 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. Senate gives final approval to raises, bonuses for CT state employees The new raises are intended to give greater confidence to these managers that they will have consistent treatment with the union employees. He has been the state finances reporter at CT Mirror since it launched in 2010. Private-sector employees can only dream of having that, said Sen. Henri Martin, R-Bristol. But more than that, this is a necessary contract so that we can hold on to the best and brightest.. They also cover the next two fiscal years and potentially 2024-25 as well. The contracts, which Gov. Gov. CT Gov. Each year includes a 2.5% general wage increase, as well as a step hike for all but the most senior workers. Does not automatically renew. State government coffers have swelled since 2018, due in large part to a robust stock market that has bolstered income tax receipts tied to capital gains and other investment earnings. Administrations come and go, taking with them their priorities. CONNECTICUT The state Senate gave final approval to the raise and bonus package for state employees. During that time Connecticuts average pension payment increased 15 percent from $34.589 in 2015 to $39,887 in 2020. 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. 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! The $2,000 payment will only be available to employees who were hired or appointed before June 30, 2018. 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. 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. Gov. . 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. Ideal timing for the announcement would be between Christmas and the New Year. The agreement would cost the state nearly $1.9 billion over four fiscal years, according to nonpartisan fiscal analysts. Ned Lamont's administration and a coalition of . 2016 CT.gov | Connecticut's Official State Website, regular /. Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Watch Live at 7:00 PM: The U.S. and the Holocaust, a film by Ken Burns | Screening & Panel Discussion . When that expires in 2024, the states fiscal position could turn, some lawmakers argue, particularly if the national inflation rate which topped 7% last year and exceeds 8% early in 2022 remains high. Ned Lamont's administration and already ratified by the 35 . That includes Gov. December 30, 2021 @ Its also done with the best financial interests of the state at heart.. 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. They are our people, who we count on each day to make us safe, she said. But the Lamont administration is facing a gathering wave of retirements, producing a sense of urgency that Geballe says is shared by labor and management. What will our elected officials be working on to improve policy outcomes for Connecticut residents? Pay Raise Victory! Welcome News, Long Overdue - TSEU-CWA 6186 Lamont could rehire retired workers as independent contractors, but then he would be paying those fees as well as funding retirement benefits. Our product, Incentmax, is a dedicated sales incentive & performance management technology that links business goals with Sales reps & Customer facing team members' variable payments or Incentives/commissions, helping the increase in 5-10 % sales target achievement. Fazio said it reflects the pull unions have on state government, and that taxpayers will end up footing the bill. Connecticut State Employees Retirement System Tier I Benefit Calculation The Lamont administration and SEBAC argue the deal is actually good for taxpayers, because an arbitrator would likely award workers even bigger raises. Opinion: Gov. Lamont will give big fat raises to state workers I dont believe, fundamentally, that this agreement is fair at all.. Osten said the raises reflect the valuable work state employees provide daily, and particularly throughout the coronavirus pandemic. font size, Human Resources Business Rules and Regulations. 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. The House, where Democrats also hold a majority, approved the package 96-52 on Thursday. 4:04 pm. CONNECTICUT State officials announced the tentative state employee union bargaining agreement, which calls for multiple years of raises and bonus payments. I dont believe, fundamentally, that this agreement is fair at all.. Senate Joins House And Votes To Give Raises, Bonuses To State Employees Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. The full General Assembly is expected to vote on it as early as this week. Ned Lamont in Darien earlier this month. Its also imperative that we do so. The raises would cost the town about a half . Republicans argue the SEBAC package will lead to big deficits in a few years -- and tax hikes. So, it is a safe bet that Lamont will sign a juicy new wage contract with SEBAC. The comptrollers office cautions that some those eligible to retire will not yet have earned full retirement benefits, giving some an incentive to stay. Employees who retire after that date will get less lucrative retirement benefits. Your email address will not be published. The minimum wage in Connecticut is scheduled to increase to $15 per hour on June 1, 2023. . Ned Lamont and president of state's network of community colleges square off in showdown over state funding. 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. If you have employees affected by the . 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. 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. 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 minimum 2 percent COLA also means that during years in which inflation was low, they still got a boost over the inflation rate. Thirty percent intend to leave the state upon retirement. 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. Since 1997, the State has used a formula to calculate the minimum cost of living adjustment. 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). Changes to state employee retirement benefits will go into effect in July of 2022 Ned Lamont speaks at a news conference at Connecticuts Beardsley Zoo, in Bridgeport, Conn. March 29, 2021. 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. 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. 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. It was covered recently in goals and ideas tossed around in a brainstorming exercise, then numbered as priorities. By 2020, the state paid $2.2 billion to 55,348 retirees. 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. I would say that largely we havent seen that partnership happen, but we continue to have the door wide open, Glidden said. The managers who will receive the raises include division heads at state agencies, as well as commissioners and deputy commissioners. To be prepared to comply with this change, all employers should do the following prior to June 1: . 'Change is coming' for Connecticut state employees That will be followed by 2.5 percent raises on July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023. Budget panel endorses raises, bonuses for CT state workers building a betterand more civilConnecticut to live, work, and play. Get CT Mirror emails in your inbox daily. The state of Connecticut is in the best financial condition that I can recall, being up here 10 years, said Rep. Michael DAgostino, D-Hamden, who led the debate in favor of the raises. listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information. "I think we're in great shape. "I've got to recruit and keep them in order to keep our government going, he said. Likely, the governors spinmeisters will follow the lead of union leaders in referring to all state employees as frontline workers, although many agencies were closed to the public during most of the pandemic. The $2 billion agreement also includes special lump-sum payments of $2,500 for active employees who've . The program also will allow the state to abandon plans for a costly upgrade to its email system. And while some criticized the bonuses, the Hamden lawmaker and others say they would save the state money over the long haul. There are also new bonuses: $2,500 next month and an extra $1,000 in mid-July. Were losing some of our best and brightest as they seek other parts of the country where its easier to make a living. 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. But that surge followed a nearly decade-long stretch in which state tax receipts from the same source badly underperformed. 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. "Today is Tax Day People want to know where their tax dollars are going, said Kim Healy, a GOP Wilton selectman running for the Connecticut House of Representatives.
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