State
Senator Thomas J. Herlihy, R-Simsbury, has submitted legislation
that would require all non-union state employees to be subjected
to the same salary and benefit concessions as unionized state
employees. According to Sen. Herlihy, while unionized state
employees substantially outnumber non-union workers, his proposal
reflects the fact that all state employees need to be part
of the budget solution not just those who belong to the union.
“The salaries and benefits of both union and non-union
state employees come from the same budget, and that budget
is not balanced. In my opinion it is only fair that concessions
apply to everyone,” said Sen. Herlihy. “If the
budget is going to be balanced, concessions have to be made
on all levels of government including the executive and legislative
levels.”
According to
Sen. Herlihy, non-union state employees make up nearly 7,000
of the approximate 54,000-member state employee workforce.
Under his legislation, all commissioners, deputy commissioners,
executive and legislative staff would see their wages frozen
and their benefits be subjected to adjustments equivalent
to any union concession. While Sen. Herlihy admits that
many non-union salaries are already frozen, the legislation
would simply ensure that when concessions are required that
all state employees fall under the same conditions.
“This
bill is about principle,” said Sen. Herlihy. “Union
employees should not feel as they are the only ones being
asked to give something up. If concessions are part of balancing
the state budget then they should apply to all state employees.” |
