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. State finances also are being supported this fiscal year and next by about $3 billion in emergency federal pandemic relief. 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. Based on the statutes governing Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) for CTRB members, the Connecticut Teachers' Retirement Board will be granting COLA as follows. ThanKs Vin, Lyle Scruggs 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. Register to attend in-person | Register to attend virtually. And that total is expected to grow considerably between now and July 1. The House, where Democrats also hold a majority, approved the package 96-52 on Thursday. That will be followed by 2.5 percent raises on July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023. Keith is a graduate of and a former journalism instructor at the University of Connecticut. community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years. Salary Increase - ct More than 3,400 state employees have retired or have filed written intention to retire this year, but that number is expected to increase before July 1. The budget is expected to be a record high for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, which will start July 1. 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. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, between 2015 and 2020 there was only one year 2018 during which the CPI-W for July was above 2 percent. The Victory Channel is LIVE with Victory News! 4.28.23 - Facebook The deal is now final since the state Senate and House approved it. Gov. The bonuses, the GOP argued, are hardly the key to retaining workers, as the governor and other Democrats claim. Those who challenge government actions for the right reasons could be forever barred from political office unjustly by this law. The new deal will bring Microsoft 365 software to all state agencies. The agreement calls for 2.5 percent general wage increases and step increases retroactive to July 1, 2022. Breaking from the status quo is very hard I think for people generally, but particularly in government, where you dont have competition the same way you do in the private sector, where if you dont change, if you dont innovate, if you dont find new ways to add value, eventually you go out of business and everybody loses their job. State retirees to see pension bump as inflation jumps 6 percent In addition, full-time workers would receive a $2,500 bonus in mid-May and another $1,000 bonus in mid-July. How will schools be implementing to curriculum requirements? You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you publish it. 1 Week Subscription - $2.99 / 7 Days. Some reflected frustrations by the public in dealing with state agencies, as well as employees knowing what is happening elsewhere in government. 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. Republicans countered Friday that the raises and bonuses far outstrip what households in the private sector are receiving. 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. Photos: Iconic Landmarks To Visit Across CT. 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. I dont believe, fundamentally, that this agreement is fair at all.. There are also new bonuses: $2,500 next month and an extra $1,000 in mid-July. Thermo Fisher Scientific bought the company the same year. 13 Weeks . Raising minimum salary levels between 10% to 25% will give many frontline HHSC employees a reprieve from dire financial straits caused by the Texas Legislature's failure to provide across-the-board pay raises to state . Thats when more stringent limits on state retirement benefits, negotiated as part of a 2017 concessions deal with unions, take effect. (Sorry for the caps, wont let me shift), Hope McKiernan The only Tier II members who are required to make retirement contributions are: Individuals serving in hazardous duty positions; and Individuals who elected to pay an additional contribution to maintain the current normal retirement age. I think were at a time where change is coming, whether people like it or not. Private-sector employees can only dream of having that, said Sen. Henri Martin, R-Bristol. They also cover the next two fiscal years and potentially 2024-25 as well. Fazio said that it reflects the pull unions have on state government and that taxpayers will end up footing the bill. 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. 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. building a betterand more civilConnecticut to live, work, and play. Connecticut Public Radio | 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. Part-timers would be eligible for prorated bonuses. It was covered recently in goals and ideas tossed around in a brainstorming exercise, then numbered as priorities. 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. Get CT Mirror briefings with enterprise reporting, investigations and more in your inbox daily. There is ample evidence that this is a fair contract, a reasonable contract, an affordable contract, she said of Connecticuts wage hikes. The contracts allow workers to accept the $2,500 extra payment and still retire before July 1. Its a matter of whether we can afford it.. 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%. 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. Efficiency is easier in concept than in actual practice. All Rights Reserved. Ned Lamont's administration and a coalition of . 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. Negotiators will meet again to determine raises after the time period. The Charter provides commonsense reforms to make Connecticuts government work for its residents. 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. Marc has a Master of Fine Arts degree from Western Connecticut State University. Ned Lamont believes it will keep critical state workers on the job. The. 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. The long session, as non-election years are called in Hartford, will be centered around the biennial budget. 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 year over year increases drive up the amount paid out by Connecticuts severely underfunded State Employee Retirement System. In a bill drafted . The state usually experiences 2,000 to 2,500 annual state employee retirements, according to the CT Mirror. Budget panel endorses raises, bonuses for CT state workers SEBAC employees who are employed before March 31, 2022 would also get a $2,500 bonus. The House, where Democrats also hold a majority, approved the package 96-52 on Thursday. Examples abound. Several Republican lawmakers decried the deal and said it would exacerbate Connecticuts fiscal woes. House passes raises, bonuses for CT state employees So, it is a safe bet that Lamont will sign a juicy new wage contract with SEBAC. Best Sales Performance Management Software Company The managers who will receive the raises include division heads at state agencies, as well as commissioners and. EVENT: Mark Pazniokas will sit down with Gov. The plan, negotiated by Gov. Ned Lamont believes it will keep critical state workers on the job. Changes to state employee retirement benefits will go into effect in July of 2022 Note: the above image is a chart for the CPI-U, not the CPI-W. 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. But Gov. 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. ALERT: Tell lawmakers to vote NO on the TCI Gas Tax Loophole that forces CT residents to pay unlimited energy taxes! This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Publics Members The BCG study was supposed to facilitate a third approach. CONNECTICUT State officials announced the tentative state employee union bargaining agreement, which calls for multiple years of raises and bonus payments. 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. 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. CT Lawmakers Approve Raises, Bonuses For State Employees 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. 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. 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 nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis estimates the contract will cost the state $1.87 billion over three years. 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. This final increase may pose concerns for small businesses and non-profit organizations operating in the state. The states robust, short-term fiscal position is a sugar high that will pass when the federal stimulus money goes away, ODea said. 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. On top of that, most workers would "step" into a higher pay grade, adding an extra 2% to most raises. 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. 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. Deserves got nothing to do with it, Rep. Thomas ODea, R-Ledyard, said, citing the famous dialogue Clint Eastwoods Western outlaw uttered in Unforgiven, the 1992 Academy Award-winning film. Inevitably, it will be highly unpopular, so the announcement will be buried as deeply as possible and spun like a top by Lamonts spokespeople. Ned Lamont and president of state's network of community colleges square off in showdown over state funding. Because the state is facing a massive retirement wave, which, if mishandled, could cripple state government. Critics also balk at the cost. Memo - 2022 Retirement Changes for CT State Employees The full General Assembly is expected to vote on it as early as this week. Why 'unprecedented' number of CT state workers may soon retire Is Ron DeSantis good for state workers? We look at the record 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. Josh Geballe, the states chief operating officer and commissioner of the Department of Administrative Services, said state agency heads have found it difficult to promote top performers in their departments because the employees would either have to take a pay cut or worry they wont be afforded the same prospective increases as those in bargaining units. 2:19 pm. But that surge followed a nearly decade-long stretch in which state tax receipts from the same source badly underperformed. We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. During that time Connecticuts average pension payment increased 15 percent from $34.589 in 2015 to $39,887 in 2020. Theres no way to take on the legacy of mass incarceration other than to undo it, one step at a time. A wave of state employee retirements is expected in the coming months, resulting in an "unprecedented" loss of knowledge and skills, some officials say. Ned Lamont and president of state's network of community colleges square off in showdown over state funding. Budget panel endorses raises, bonuses for CT state workers The [nonprofit] industry pegs the inflationary loss its taking on these payments at $460 million per year, according to the CT Mirror. Those who challenge government actions for the right reasons could be forever barred from political office unjustly by this law. Connecticuts chief administrative officer keeps a spotless desk. 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. In the past, similar planned changes to retirement benefits have triggered waves of retirements before the changes take place, the OLR report states. Watching is one of those who spoke against it, Sen. Craig Miner. DARRELL HACKETT To be prepared to comply with this change, all employers should do the following prior to June 1: . 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. Josh Geballe, the commissioner of administrative services. 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. Ned Lamont in Darien earlier this month. "I've got to recruit and keep them in order to keep our government going, he said. 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For retirements prior to June 30, 2022, these cumulative raises will be paid each year on either January 1st or July 1st depending on your date of retirement (DOR). 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. Tier II is a non-contributory defined benefit retirement plan for most members. The formula used took 60% of the increase in the Consumer Price Index ( CPI-W) up to 6% and . 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. State employee unions offered concessions in 2009, 2011 and 2017. Lamont says the bonuses are crucial to retain state employees, who are retiring in larger-than-normal numbers this spring. The bonuses, the GOP argued, are hardly the key to retaining workers, as the governor and other Democrats claim. Senate approves raises, bonuses for Conn. state workers - WTNH.com

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