Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Malloy seeking legislation to reduce employee benefits

  • by Mark Pazniokas
  • June 29, 2011
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said today he intends to ask the General Assembly to pass legislation changing the way state employee pensions are calculated, reducing their sick days and freezing longevity payments–relatively modest first steps in narrowing collective bargaining for union workers.

In a conference call with editorial writers, Malloy said he is submitting legislation for tomorrow’s special session that would exclude longevity payments, overtime and other income beyond wages in pension calculations.

The changes would become law now, but would not affect pensions until after the state’s collective bargaining agreement on health and retirement benefits expires in 2017.

The changes to sick time and longevity payments would take effect as various unions’ current contracts expire, with most ending next year. His proposals come in reaction to the rejection of a concession deal necessary to balance the new budget and make longer-term savings.

That came on the heels of an administration plan released late Tuesday to lay off nearly 5,500 workers, eliminate another 1,000 vacant jobs, and cut more than $54 million in municipal aid next fiscal year.

After meeting this afternoon with the governor, leaders of the legislature’s Democratic majority were cautious in assessing the reaction of their caucuses to the governor’s proposals for the special session.

Aside from the labor changes disclosed today, the governor faces a more immediate problem: winning authorization to cut the $40.54 billion biennial budget, which is now out of balance by $1.6 billion over two years due to the rejection of the concessions and labor savings deal.

“It’s hard to say at this point. I think we have to talk it out in the caucus,” said House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan, D-Meriden. “The governor made some good points. We’ll see.”

“We’re working out the scope of legislation at this point, I mean the line by line details,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams Jr., D-Brooklyn.

Malloy met with Donovan, Williams and House Majority Leader J. Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, and Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney, D-New Haven.

Earlier, House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero, R-Norwalk, declined to speculate whether the Democrat-controlled House and Senate would support legislation to curtail the current array of wage and benefit issues that can be bargained collectively and submitted to arbitration.

But Cafero, who called for Malloy and the legislature to “start from scratch,” cut more spending and scale back tax hikes in place of the rejected union concession deal, said collective bargaining reform should be attempted regardless of the chances for success.

“If ‘everything’s on the table,'” Cafero said, offering one of Malloy’s favorite quotes regarding options for cutting spending, “then I think we have to look at everything. I think it’s a very legitimate thing to revisit and I think the time is now.”

By the standards of some other states, where public-sector employees have been stripped of some collective bargaining rights, the governor’s proposal is measured, but it is a marked departure for Malloy.

“None of this is contradictory,” said Roy Occhiogrosso, the governor’s senior adviser. “The underlying concept, the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively for thei wages and benefits, he is a strong supporter.”

But Occhiogrosso said the governor felt obliged after the rejection of the labor savings deal, a significant portion of which were directed at long-term changes in health and retirement benefits, to seek legislation that he believes is necessary to stabilize the state’s benefits structure.

The Connecticut Federation of Taxpayer Organizations, a coalition of 30 grassroots taxpayer groups, wrote to Malloy and the General Assembly this week calling for a panel to recommend reforms to statutorily-guaranteed collective bargaining rights.

“The recent rejection by the state employee unions of the proposed concession package offered by Governor Malloy placed a spotlight on the unhealthy control of state employee unions over our State, its budget, personnel and finances, as well as the devastating impact it will have on taxpayers throughout our state,” wrote association President Susan G. Kniep, a former East Hartford mayor. “As union contracts are negotiated in secret, voters/taxpayers are frequently removed from the process although you expect us to pay the associated costs through the various forms of taxation you and municipal leaders impose upon us.”

On Tuesday, Malloy said he would explore legislative options to curtail what he called state government’s unsustainable, long-term health and pension costs, but he refused to say if he was going to seek a curb on collective-bargaining rights for state employees.

“We attempted to do that through negotiation. That has failed,” Malloy said then. “The people of Connecticut still need systemic change and still need to have a sustainable relationship with their employee base, which is a way of saying there is more than one way to get that done.”

State employee union spokesman Larry Dorman said Wednesday that union leaders “remain committed to a mutual agreement with the administration. They are confident they can save taxpayers money and protect public services that everyone counts on. And they believe they can do that without laying-off state workers or stripping their negotiating rights.”

The State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition announced Friday that despite a concession vote that fell short of the threshold needed to approve givebacks, it would not immediately report a negative vote to the administration. Coalition leaders said they would review labor bylaws in hopes of finding an option to reconsider the deal, which received support from 57 percent of the workers who cast ballots.

“We’re far closer to a negotiated solution than anyone expected us to be in February,” Dorman said. “We’ve come that far because of the collective bargaining process. Anything that threatens that now is counter-productive.”

The SEBAC spokesman added that “contracts have proven a much more reliable way to ensure long-term, stable funding (for worker benefits) than unilateral actions by politicians. Only by mutual agreement can we move quickly and effectively to provide stability for the critical public structures upon which our economy relies.”

Whether Malloy can win support for his proposals from his fellow Democrats in the General Assembly remained unclear, though sources said the governor had more support for his plans in the Senate than in the House.

Rep. Kathleen Tallarita, D-Enfield, whose district includes many state prisons — and unionized Department of Correction employees — said the governor’s proposal to exclude overtime earnings from pension calculations would particularly penalize prison guards and state police troopers, whose jobs often require working extra hours.

And though these employees are subjected on occasion to mandatory overtime, Tallarita said state government can’t mandate extra work whenever it wants. “I need to know if this is going to lead to some people turning down overtime and are we talking about staffing levels that could put some people at risk,” she added. “In hard times you need to take a look at everything, but we really need to know more about this.”

But Sen. Edith G. Prague, D-Columbia, co-chairwoman of the Labor and Public Employees Committee and a longtime ally of public-sector employees, said Wednesday that while she is somewhat concerned about Malloy’s proposal to reduce sick days, the other proposed changes are reasonable given the state’s budget crisis.

“For a long time I have felt that pensions should be based only on salaries, and not overtime,” Prague said. “And to reward people with longevity payments just because they’re there for a long time, … that’s ridiculous.”

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mark Pazniokas

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Why it took days for one CVS store in CT to stop vaccinating New Yorkers
by Dave Altimari

By the time state officials arrived at a Waterford CVS on Feb. 4 to investigate reports that New Yorkers were getting the COVID-19 vaccine, the […]

From UHart faculty: All Hawks deserve our support
by Amanda Freeman, Katharine Owens and Rachel Walker

Last week college sports fans in Connecticut were roiled by some startling news. The University of Hartford has been privately considering a move from NCAA Division I to Division III. Grappling with the financial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University commissioned a “feasibility study” from the consulting company CarrSports. The confidential report concluded that the “current Division I-funding model is not viable and cannot achieve the goal of becoming more self-sustaining.”

Lessons learned: Education is not enough to combat anti-vaccine propaganda
by Kerri M. Raissian and Jody Terranova

The Connecticut House of Representatives just passed legislation to end the religious exemption for the school vaccination requirement ( HB6423).  The Connecticut state Senate must act quickly to do the same.  If passed, Connecticut would require medically able school children to receive vaccines as recommended by the CDC.

Biden ought not overuse the term ‘infrastructure’
by Eric W. Kuhn

President Joe Biden's redefinition of the word "bipartisan" is wise, even necessary. Measures that have majority support among regular folks throughout the country-- say, universal background checks for firearms purchases-- have "bipartisan" support because lots of citizens of both major parties approve: that makes sense.

Please let restaurants and bars recover from the pandemic. Oppose HB 6502
by Robert D’Eliseo and Don Mancini

For the first time in almost a year, we can see a light at the end of the tunnel of the COVID-19 pandemic. But that does not mean we are out of the tunnel yet – and these coming months will be critical for the recovery. That is why this is not the time for the Connecticut General Assembly to push the polystyrene ban (HB 6502) they seem on track toward passing.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion From UHart faculty: All Hawks deserve our support
by Amanda Freeman, Katharine Owens and Rachel Walker

Last week college sports fans in Connecticut were roiled by some startling news. The University of Hartford has been privately considering a move from NCAA Division I to Division III. Grappling with the financial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University commissioned a “feasibility study” from the consulting company CarrSports. The confidential report concluded that the “current Division I-funding model is not viable and cannot achieve the goal of becoming more self-sustaining.”

Opinion Lessons learned: Education is not enough to combat anti-vaccine propaganda
by Kerri M. Raissian and Jody Terranova

The Connecticut House of Representatives just passed legislation to end the religious exemption for the school vaccination requirement ( HB6423).  The Connecticut state Senate must act quickly to do the same.  If passed, Connecticut would require medically able school children to receive vaccines as recommended by the CDC.

Opinion Biden ought not overuse the term ‘infrastructure’
by Eric W. Kuhn

President Joe Biden's redefinition of the word "bipartisan" is wise, even necessary. Measures that have majority support among regular folks throughout the country-- say, universal background checks for firearms purchases-- have "bipartisan" support because lots of citizens of both major parties approve: that makes sense.

Opinion Please let restaurants and bars recover from the pandemic. Oppose HB 6502
by Robert D’Eliseo and Don Mancini

For the first time in almost a year, we can see a light at the end of the tunnel of the COVID-19 pandemic. But that does not mean we are out of the tunnel yet – and these coming months will be critical for the recovery. That is why this is not the time for the Connecticut General Assembly to push the polystyrene ban (HB 6502) they seem on track toward passing.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s […]

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is […]

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO