SEN. MARX APPROVES NEW FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT FOR 42,000 STATE EMPLOYEES

State Senator Martha Marx (D-New London) 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 many workers who keep our state running deserve to be rewarded for their dedication to Connecticut,” said Sen. Martha Marx. “This legislation ensures Connecticut remains competitive in the labor market and properly compensates the many state workers tirelessly keeping our roads, schools, prisons, hospitals, colleges, courthouses and many other places running.”

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.