Thursday, May 11, 2023

We have a staffing crisis and an additional 2% contribution for approximately 13,000 employees will hurt the State’s ability to recruit and retain employees. At a time when the State has billions of dollars in surplus and has already made billions in additional pension payments over the last three years, this is not the time to implement this provision of the contract. While the impact on the pension debt will be negligible, it will be a significant impact on the 13,000 state workers and their families. And it is Connecticut families that will suffer as the people who provide essential public services will continue to leave for more lucrative opportunities.
Tier IV – which was negotiated in the middle of a nearly decade-long budget crisis – has proved inadequate in recruiting and retaining employees, particularly in years of surplus and a tight labor market. Implementation of this provision only exacerbates these issues.
We will continue to call on the Lamont Administration to delay the implementation of this provision during this current staffing crisis.