After leaving IBM, he became chief executive officer of Core Informatics, a software startup that Hartford Business Journal included in its 2017 list of best places to work in Connecticut. 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When you do good work, you get a bonus, said Lamont. Because the state is facing a massive retirement wave, which, if mishandled, could cripple state government. The agreements, which unions ratified earlier this spring, are retroactive to the start of this fiscal year, which began last July 1. Sen. Cathy Osten defending the SEBAC deal. Changes to state employee retirement benefits will go into effect in July of 2022 December 30, 2021 @ To that end, we have produced a new edition of our Charter for Change. 4:04 pm. What tax reform proposals will there be? 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 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. 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 . 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. It is unsustainable and, more plainly, unjust. It is cloud-based, lessening the states reliance on servers, improving security and taking a step toward the ultimate goal of easing the sharing of data and documents among agencies. The increases, part of a four-year package negotiated by Gov. 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. 2:19 pm. As a State of Connecticut employee you may be entitled to a host of benefits that are not only attractive, but also may be portable should your career . 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. The long session, as non-election years are called in Hartford, will be centered around the biennial budget. listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information. 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. 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. The changes will only affect those who retire after July of 2022, but according to the OLR report, historically such changes have resulted in a larger number of employees retiring before the cut-off date. 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. 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. 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. The contracts allow workers to accept the $2,500 extra payment and still retire before July 1. The state is also hoping the increases will also attract more people to state-level management positions. See 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. The agreements, which unions ratified earlier this spring, are retroactive to the start of this fiscal year, which began last July 1. 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. The board has voted to approve the following cost of living increase for January 2023. 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). state of ct employee step increase 2022; state of ct employee step increase 2022. The Lamont administration and SEBAC argue the deal is actually good for taxpayers, because an arbitrator would likely award workers even bigger raises. Government bureaucracies are notoriously resistant to change, layered with the accretion of rules, processes, union contracts, all contributing to a workplace culture. That's an incentive to keep people working after that retirement date.". 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. We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. And while some criticized the bonuses, the Hamden lawmaker and others say they would save the state money over the long haul. It will slow cost-of-living adjustments for all new retirees and raise health costs for a few, primarily high earners. in its annual Fiscal Accountability Report. Photos: Iconic Landmarks To Visit Across CT. 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! 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. Part-timers would be eligible for prorated bonuses. 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. "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. Consistently, studies show that the compensation of Connecticut state employees exceeds average private sector compensation by one of the highest margins of the 50 states. 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. 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%. 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. 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. With only 41 weeks remaining to replace retiring employees, the Lamont administration is fast approaching a severe manpower crisis. The deal works out to about $40,000 in raises per state employee over four years, Fazio said, which works out to about $1,300 per Connecticut household. 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. . As a Nothing stands in the way of the ever-increasing generosity of state employee compensation. 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. 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. But Gov. Ned Lamont in Hartford on May 3. Michelle Lee. Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. 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. 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. 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. Ned Lamont and president of state's network of community colleges square off in showdown over state funding. The deal is now final since the state Senate and House approved it. Get CT Mirror emails in your inbox daily. Ned Lamont's administration and a coalition of . This final increase may pose concerns for small businesses and non-profit organizations operating in the state. Efficiency is easier in concept than in actual practice. Republicans also said they appreciate the hard work of state employees, particularly during the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, but the issue isnt as simple as some believe. 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. We felt one of the most efficient ways and equitable ways to make a dent in this challenge was to go back and provide those same increases to the managers that had already been given to our union employees.. 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. The contracts allow workers to accept the $2,500 extra payment and still retire before July 1. That is the status quo.. 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. /. 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. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are Please reload the page and try again. So, it is a safe bet that Lamont will sign a juicy new wage contract with SEBAC. 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? 4.28.23 We are LIVE with our 11 am/CT. In the prison system, there are separate classifications for supervisors of correctional industries, auto mechanics, data entry, printing, clothing, and general industries. The $2,000 payment will only be available to employees who were hired or appointed before June 30, 2018. building a betterand more civilConnecticut to live, work, and play. Administrations come and go, taking with them their priorities. Privacy Policy. SEBAC employees who are employed before March . You cannot be supportive of state workers and the services they provide without being supportive of the necessary funding to ensure that these positions are properly staffed, SEBAC wrote in a statement after the vote. Part-timers would be eligible for prorated bonuses. The state also faces a potential wave of retirements. Dannel Malloy included a provision to change the COLAs for state employees who retire after July 1, 2022. Part-timers would be eligible for prorated bonuses. As a Automation is a word that makes unions nervous, even as they acknowledge the nature of work is changing. 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.

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