Approval of State Employee Union Contract Will Be Harmful to Connecticut Economy

Approval of the state employee union agreement jeopardizes Connecticut’s financial future and ignores the needs of our state’s businesses and residents. It’s disappointing that legislators don’t see the harm they have inflicted on the state with this ten-year agreement.

Rather that save the state money, the 33 individual union contracts contain provision that will cost the state more in the long run. Some of these costs are:

• Increases the number of hours certain employees can conduct union activities on state time (at state expense)
• Removes current legislative authority over pension and healthcare issues
• Prevents the ability of the state to privatize services
• Continues to include overtime when calculating employee pension payments
• Makes potentially costly changes to sick time and time off
• Requires the state to pay for employees’ Commercial Driver’s License Medical Examinations
• Continues employee longevity payments
• Requires non-union employees to pay higher health insurance premiums than union employees