In This Together CT

“State pension plans are going broke, and only Wall Street can save us!” That’s the plain language translation of the recent projection by Northwestern University Assistant Professor Joshua D. Rauh. The plain language translation of an analysis of his paper commissioned by the National Association of State Retirement Administrators (NASRA) and outside experts: “Your facts are wrong, your assumptions are invalid, and your recommendations are unhelpful. Other than that, great report.” (more…)

Leaders of the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) praised the passage of “An Act Concerning The Purchasing Of Prescription Drugs By Nonstate Public Employers,” which allows municipalities and school districts to participate in the State prescription drug plan. With the Governor’s signature of the bill yesterday, bulk purchases of the plan will mean significant reductions in the overall cost of life-saving medications. (more…)

Leaders of the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) are reacting to comments made by Connecticut Republican Party candidates for governor in the 2010 General Election. Former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley accepted the party’s nomination during the State GOP’s convention on April 22 and promised during his acceptance speech, as he has repeatedly during the primary campaign, to outsource public services 1 and eliminate jobs in order to bring down the deficit. Current Lt. Governor Michael Fedele has been a strong advocate for deep spending cuts 2 on the campaign trail and Metro Hartford Alliance President and CEO Nelson “Oz” Griebel has argued that State employee unions must be brought back to the bargaining table 3 even after the significant savings produced from the coalition’s 2009 cost-savings agreement. (more…)

Media speculation and rumors are swirling but it is vitally important that you, our members and supporters, know the truth about the newest early retirement controversy. The governor claims that an ERIP will save the state money; SEBAC knows it will cost taxpayers more in the long run and will stress state services that are already stretched to the breaking point. (more…)

Rell Administration representatives abruptly left a planned meeting with leaders of the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) this evening to discuss the governor’s latest Early Retirement Incentive Program (ERIP). Union leaders noted that the governor’s plan could cost taxpayers over $1 billion dollars while decimating state services, and pressed for responses to cost savings proposals they made in January that would have improved services and saved more money than is estimated through the ERIP. (more…)

Leadership of the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) are responding to Governor M. Jodi Rell’s comments concerning her administration’s discussions with legislative leaders to institute another early retirement incentive program (ERIP) for state employees. The Governor met with leaders of the House and Senate on Monday to discuss the state’s budget deficit for 2010/2011, and proposed the ERIP as part of her solution for Connecticut’s continuing fiscal crisis. (more…)

Leaders and members of the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) are reacting to passage of the General Assembly’s 2010 budget deficit mitigation package. Both the House and Senate passed the package this week and the governor signed the bill yesterday. The plan relied largely on an additional $100 million in savings from the coalition’s 2009 agreement, which is now expected to provide nearly $1 billion towards the previous and current biennium, as well as an additional $60 million in federal reimbursements from the stimulus package. (more…)

State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) leaders received a second letter from the Rell Administration with their request to solve the budget situation “through collective bargaining changes” and again reacted with strong disapproval. Each leader of the coalition unions signed a letter that was sent to Office of Policy and Management (OPM) Secretary Robert Genuario, the Governor’s Chief Budget Officer, condemning the administration’s insistence on balancing the budget on the backs of State workers who have already provided $700 million in savings in 2009. Those savings, which included pay freezes and increases in healthcare costs for State employees, are providing even more savings than predicted in the current fiscal year, and will provide hundreds of millions of additional savings out into future budget years. (more…)

This past Saturday, 400 members from the 13 unions in the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) turned out to meet Connecticut’s 2010 gubernatorial candidates. All the major party candidates were invited, and five Democrats and one Republican came to West Hartford to share their vision for Connecticut and to answer questions from public service workers about their plan to create more jobs and brighten the state’s economic forecast.

Watch the video online to see how the candidates responded to some of your concerns and learn about their approaches to solving the state’s economic crisis. (more…)

State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) leaders reacted with condemnation after receiving a letter on Thursday night from Governor M. Jodi Rell’s Office of Policy and Management (OPM) Secretary asking that the unions respond to a list of further concession demands. Robert Genuario stated in the letter that, while the 2009 agreement with SEBAC represented “considerable budget savings,” the Rell Administration would be asking each union in the Coalition to make additional changes to their agreements and to the overall health and retirement agreement not scheduled to expire until 2017. (more…)