The lavish 33% annual increase in CT State employee compensation over the last six years is up for renewal. CT is the most heavily unionized of the 50 states and CT State workers are the second highest paid. Will our lawmakers put a cap on this?
According to Red Jahncke of The Red Line, there are reasons to think sanity may prevail due to a three-way tug of war:
Number One: Wages are so high that they are impossible to ignore. State employees earn far more than non-union social workers at non-profits who are clamoring to get a greater share of the spending.
Number Two: Rising unfunded pensions. Governor Lamont claims credit for progress on unfunded pensions, but it's hard to make progress when salaries that include pensions are rising so quickly.
Number Three: Fiscal guardrails may need to be broken to cover increases in state employee wages. Will Governor Lamont break the guardrails that he claims to have implemented and make him known for fiscal common sense.
Between the "Red" Lines - Republicans are calling for a two-year wage freeze. But Democrats control the levers of power in Hartford.