Posted on March 4, 2020
HARTFORD — State Rep. Vincent Candelora on Wednesday voted against an 11 percent pay hike included in an inaugural union contract for a small pool of state workers who earn an average of $99,000 annually.
The contract approved by a 91 to 58 vote in the House of Representatives covers 100 employees from the state’s Department of Children of Families (DCF) who, until 2017, were classified as “program managers.” Those workers were reclassified as “program supervisors,” allowing them to unionize and to collectively bargain contracts.
“Funding that fuels critical services for our state’s most vulnerable residents is always under threat due to budget constraints, yet here’s the legislature, once again, pumping more money into a government agency while state-supported nonprofit providers continue to do more with very little,” said Candelora, Deputy House Republican Leader. “Structural budgetary problems are synonymous with Connecticut, and if this legislature doesn’t change direction on these contracts, deficits will only grow and important programs will continue to suffer.”
In 2019, the Democrat-controlled legislature approved 12 contracts for unionized state employees that will cost Connecticut more than $90 million.
For years, such contracts went into effect automatically without legislative action because lawmakers were under no obligation to vote on them. Republicans fought successfully to change that policy through the historic bipartisan budget approved in 2017.
The contract approved Wednesday will see the average salary of the 100 workers increase to $110,000 over the next two fiscal years. Among the deal’s components are a one-time $2,000 payment and provision allowing union officials 24 days of union leave time each year.
Candelora said this should spotlight the state’s Office of Labor Relations, which operates inside the governor’s budget office and reclassified the employees with little if any fanfare.
“Government works best when it’s transparent, and right now I’m willing to bet there are a lot of people at community nonprofits who think things aren’t working all that well,” Candelora said. “It’s imperative that this legislature turn its eye on all of this.”
