SEN. CABRERA APPROVES NEW FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT FOR 42,000 STATE EMPLOYEES
HARTFORD – State Senator Jorge Cabrera (D-Hamden) today voted to approve a new four-year labor union contract for 42,000 state employees that gives them a 2.5% raise, plus a step increase, in each of the next three years, with a wage re-opener in the fourth year to re-examine current economic conditions.
Senate Resolution 12, “RESOLUTION PROPOSING APPROVAL OF AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT AND THE STATE EMPLOYEES BARGAINING AGENT COALITION (SEBAC),” passed the Senate on a partisan vote of 26-10.
The contract, which also secured $84 million in health care savings/concessions over three years, impacts clerical and administrative staff; corrections officers; nurses, doctors, and staff in state facilities; custodial and maintenance staff; engineering and technical staff; employees working in social services, child protection, and developmental disabilities; Higher Education faculty and staff at state universities and colleges; and Judicial Branch employees.
“The State of Connecticut is the largest employer in the state. We’re five times bigger than Walmart, three times bigger than Electric Boat, and twice as big as Hartford Healthcare. Chances are you, or a family member, or a neighbor or someone you know works for the state,” Sen. Cabrera said. “Over the past decade, we’ve gained 30,000 jobs in the private sector in Connecticut, and we’ve lost 5,000 jobs in the government sector. We need to grow and reward our state employee workforce, keep their salary growth on par with the private sector, and give our residents their money’s worth when it comes to the public services that they pay for and expect. Today’s contract helps do that. These hardworking families keep Connecticut going. They support us. This contract supports them, and I’m proud to vote for it.”
The financial terms of today’s contract are identical to another state labor union contract that the state Senate approved just two months ago, this time with nearly unanimous Republican support.
In late March, the Senate voted 30-2 to approve a four-year, $45 million labor union contract for 3,700 state employees who collect trash, fix roads, and serve meals. The raises were 2.5% per year, plus an annual increment of 2% – the exact same raise and step increase as the SEBAC contract, which Republicans opposed today.
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