Professor Raises Prime Example of How SEBAC is Failing the Most Vulnerable

June 20, 2018

Senate Republican President Pro Tempore Len Fasano (R-North Haven) released the following statement regarding 11% pay increases for Connecticut professors in the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system. These raises are being given to professors at the same time the schools are struggling with costs and again looking toward tuition hikes. These contracts were approved by legislative Democrats as part of the state’s SEBAC deal and recently detailed in a Yankee Institute report.

“It is amazing how extreme benefits are for some state employees at the same time all other non-state union employees, tradespeople, local teachers, police, firefighters and students continue to struggle. The 11% raises are well above what anyone is experiencing in the private sector. These raises again demonstrate how SEBAC has drained the Connecticut budget of funding for job programs, health care, elderly supports, social services and clearly even students. There are so many worthwhile programs state lawmakers would like to fund that we simply cannot afford because of unaffordable benefits like this contract. State employees deserve good benefits, but when you see contracts that are not just the best in the country, but that drastically exceed the next best found anywhere in the nation, we have to question what is happening. These contracts are a prime example of how SEBAC ignored the economic reality everyone outside of state government knows all too well. Once again, Connecticut put high level state employees above all else, and it’s the most vulnerable who suffer as a result.”