“…we’re in a fiscal crisis and they’re lucky to be employed.”
May 8, 2009 by Boston Patriot
Filed under Fiscal Reforms
According to a Boston Globe story reported by Andrea Estes, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick wants a “do-over”. Specifically:
Governor Deval Patrick in recent weeks approved state union contracts that grant 7 percent raises to tens of thousands of employees over the next three years, but, with the ink barely dry, the deteriorating economic forecast has already forced him to seek concessions.
Those of you living and working in the private sector probably wonder how the state could afford these raises to begin with. Good question. A&F secretary Leslie Kirwan says that it is “unprecedented” for state workers to go without raises in a given year. Again, the private sector denizens wonder why since they frequently do without raises in a given year.
“We would be adamantly opposed to giving up any of the contract increases,” said David Holway, president of the National Association of Government Employees, which represents 10,000 state workers. “They’re slim enough.”
Huh??? Aren’t we all in this together Mr. Holway; are you paying attention to the world around you? Apparently not; or perhaps the only world he cares about involves sucking on the public teat.
The story isn’t entirely bad; out of pocket health contributions for state employees are going to increase, as they should. After all, the benefit accrues to the individual employee, doesn’t it?
Administration officials also pointed out that health costs are likely to increase for almost all state employees starting next year. Patrick proposed increasing their 15 percent contributions to 20 percent or 25 percent, depending on their salaries.
Let it never be forgotten however, that the Public Employee Union tail wags the public policy/tax payer dog.
Majority Democrats in the Legislature, most of whom took automatic, 5.5 percent pay increases earlier this year and are receiving political backing from unions, did not want to comment on the union raises. They said they were torn between paying decent wages and balancing the state’s books.”People have earned their salaries and are entitled to an increase,” said one House Democrat. “On the other hand, we’re in a fiscal crisis and they’re lucky to be employed. I have conflicted feelings.”
Automatic pay increases, how courageous. No sacrifice from our public officials??? And no courage either; nothing to say about the union raises? “Torn between paying decent wages and balancing the state’s books.” The people doing the “paying” are the taxpayers, NOT the legislature. The legislature has no money save what it appropriates from other sources. Why the supposed conflict is unclear.
The bottom line: Massachusetts government is bloated and inefficient; public employee unions dominate policy decisions and they are loathe to accept strategies that will lead to innovation, such as repeal of the Pacheco Law, repeal of the Prevailing Wage/Davis Bacon laws, competition and choice in education, sale of the MBTA, etc. Until these unions are confronted, change for the better will elude this state.
