State workers say pay bump favors the rich
State employees are meeting at the Capitol today to protest a pay bump they say largely benefits higher-paid workers.
In budget negotiations this week, legislators agreed to give state employees a 3 percent pay increase, rather than a $1,056 increase. The House had supported the flat increase, while the Senate and Gov. Matt Blunt favored the percentage increase. Budget negotiators took the Senate position.
A release from a state employees union protesting the decision said in part: “Workers from across the state are furious and tired of being told they are doing more with less by Governor Blunt.”
The release notes that the director of the Department of Social Services is slated to receive an increase of more than $3,000. Clerical workers are to receive a roughly $650 pay bump.
The employees are at the Capitol today from 11 until 2 for State Employee Appreciation Day.
We ought to be ashamed that our state workers are ranked 50th in pay in the US. They deserve better than this and so do our citizens.
If it is true that MO state employees are the lowest paid, I believe the latter of the old saying f”igures don’t lie but liars figure” thing, this might demonstrate why they are.
1. the legislature is not in session today.
2. why aren’t they out work earning their alleged meager pay
3. they could have waited until May 8th when they will be “off” for one of their 12 paid holidays not including the day after Thanksgiving and a day or two around Christmas. (Oh I forgot, then they would be protesting on their time instead ours).
I think when you look at the total compensation package of retirement, premium health care paid 80% by the taxpayers, and liberal time off I doubt they are really that underpaid.
There are many other jobs available if they don’t like the one they have at our expense.
There is something to be said - and more importantly, to be accounted for - about liberal sick, vacation and paid holiday time off, health benefits and retirement. I have observed that the really worthwhile state agencies are understaffed, while the bloated bureaucracy type agencies are overflowing with people doing very little for their paychecks. We could afford to pay the lower level ones (the ones complaining) more if there were fewer of them, and the ones that stayed after the volume of work increased would be worth the additional compensation. The ones at the top of the pay scale, in many instances, would never be making as much in the private sector. They just keep hanging on, year after year, until they wind up overpaid for doing the same work they’ve done for the last dozen years. Time to call in the bean counters and make some hard choices about how many people are needed and how much they’d be paid if they were doing it in private industry.
Jackson,
You know not what of you speak. Today was State Employee Appreciation Day. They had activities for such on the grounds of the capital. Invitation via email from Blunt.
Having worked in Corporate America, this was no different than say a United Way rally/lunch, Founder’s Day, company picnic, or any other creative “build spirit” event that corporate employers have. Are you cpomplaining that WWT employees slacked all day and during the Presidential visit? After all, they could have done that on a Saturday when they would have already had the day off!
The state employees just took advantage of the occasion to air their grievances.
As far as benefits go, shouldn’t the government set the example of what is the right way? Unfortunately, they do not do this with pay. (But then again, Jackson, you are probably one of those haters who dislike the fact that someone might have a better benefit package. or better anything, than you).
thank you suzyjax for explaining why they were in Jeff City Friday. You are so right in that government should set the example. A liberal benefit package? Having worked overseas for several years for a Japanese company, liberal is hardly the term I’d use for Americas idea of an employee benefits package. But then the Japanese respect their workers and recognize their value.
Suzyjax is right that is was state employee appreciation day. The irony of it is that the lower paid state employees, such as those who went to protest, had to take vacation to get there in order to air their concerns. Meanwhile, the bureaucrats in Jefferson City who are already getting a larger raise just got to ‘rearrange’ their schedules and go.
Just another example of Blunt giving the front line state employees the shaft.
They didn’t have to take vacation to go to the Capitol, there was no requirement to be at the Capitol in order to observe Employee Appreciation Day. The state should make sure that those who were not at work and went to protest, probably wearing green and yellow t-shirts, did indeed take vacation and didn’t go down on the taxpayer’s dime.
The majority of state employees work in Jefferson City. They are just as hard working as those who don’t. Interesting the same rules that protect the “bureaucrats”, all state employees are bureaucrats so I laugh when I seen the distinction of some bureaucrats are worse than other bureacrats, also protect those lowly employees.
3% is a good raise. As I said, if they are so low paid and they don’t think it is fair, there are other jobs available in all parts of the state. I agree that most state employees couldn’t find a job that paid as well as they get now. They would actually have to work more days just for starters.