Herron Keyon Gaston

SEN. GASTON VOTES FOR NEW STATE POLICE UNION CONTRACT

HARTFORD – State Senator Herron Keyon Gaston (D-Bridgeport) joined his colleagues in the state Senate today in the bipartisan approval of a new, four-year Connecticut State Police labor union contract that will boost state police trainee pay, provide a $3,500 bonus this year, and deliver 2.5% pay raises each year, along with a multitude of other state police benefits.

“Our state police work hard every day to protect us and our loved ones and if we can incentivize our troopers in this way to show our appreciation for what they do I am in support,” said Sen. Gaston. “Connecticut is one of the safest states in our country when it comes to violent crime and we need to do what we can to retain our state troopers. They put their lives on the line every day; providing them with a better benefits package allows for fair compensation and a more effective way of officer retainment.”

The Connecticut State Police labor union contract – which was negotiated by Governor Ned Lamont and approved today by the state legislature – covers the four fiscal years from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2026. In late December, 94% of state troopers voted to approve their labor union contract.

“This four-year agreement will enhance the state’s ability to recruit and retain the most qualified troopers, and it ensures that those who risk their lives daily are fairly compensated for their responsibilities and the dangers required of their profession,” State Police Union Executive Director Andy Matthews said at the January 18 public hearing on the contract.

The new agreement offers a 2.5% general wage increase in 2023, 2024, and 2025, with a wage reopener clause for 2026. State Police trooper trainee pay will jump from $50,000 this year to $65,638 in 2024 and then to $67,279 in 2025 and beyond – a 35% pay increase. Full-time State Police employees will receive a $3,500 lump sum payment this year, and State Police employees with the most years of service will receive an additional 2% lump sum payment.

There are nearly a dozen other beneficial changes in the new State Police labor union contract, including:

• Adding Juneteenth Independence Day as a paid state police holiday, with overtime.
• Increasing the safety shoe & equipment stipend to $150
• Adding a new, annual $500 health and wellness stipend
• Increasing the uniform cleaning stipend to $650
• Adding a new $100 monthly hazardous duty stipend for employees assigned to the Fire Explosion Investigations Unit
• Increasing the education tuition reimbursement fund to $90,000
• Increasing the training fund set-aside to $50,000
• Increasing the Field Training Officer (FTO) compensation to 2 hours per shift
• Adding a new, annual $500 lump sum payment for Bachelor of Arts or Master’s degree, which covers about a third of the State Police employees

The Connecticut State Police force currently stands at 877; it once had a mandated State Police force of 1,248, but that number has not been met for over a decade.

Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner James Rovella said Connecticut is currently graduating new State Police trooper classes of 30 to 40 officers – which is the national average – about twice a year. The next class is scheduled to graduate in April, with the next class after that beginning in May.