CT GOP Leaders on potential 4.5 % raises for state employees: “Priorities, priorities.”

For Immediate Release

Senate Republican Leader Stephen Harding and House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora issued the following statement in reaction to the reopening of the SEBAC wage deal for the fourth year of the deal which could lead to 4.5 % raises.

“Priorities, priorities.  State government, under one-party Democrat rule, has found even more taxpayer money – and a lot of it – to appease the state employee unions. How many people on Main Streets throughout Connecticut are potentially getting a 4.5 % raise this year?  How many struggling working families are receiving 4.5 % raises?  Why are we increasing fixed costs in the state budget and thereby crowding out funding for other essential services?  This potential significant salary increase stings on a variety of levels.  It also represents a clear choice: a choice to fund the growth of government over other vital areas. It sends a clear message to Connecticut taxpayers that government bureaucracy, rather than concerns about affordability, is the Democrats’ top priority. If nothing else, we certainly would hope that this astronomical increase would guarantee that these state employees are actually coming back to work in person.”