In This Together CT

http://www.ctbulletin.com/articles/2011/10/13/news/doc4e96d1e99893a329666229.txt?viewmode=fullstory

Thursday, October 13, 2011
By Bridget Albert, Editor
and Cara Baruzzi, Special to the Bulletin

ORANGE — Members of Connecticut Working Families rallied outside Pez Candy Inc. USA’s headquarters Wednesday, claiming the company has not retained the jobs it promised to create when it accepted a loan from the state five years ago.

Holding signs that read, “Hey Pez dispense some jobs” and “Handing out corporate welfare like candy,” the group protested outside the company at 35 Prindle Hill Road for about an hour. Connecticut Working Families is a Hartford-based coalition of community groups, labor unions and activists. (more…)

http://ctmirror.org/story/14182/auditors-find-major-agencies-rushed-spend-rather-report-surpluses

Keith M. Phaneuf
October 12, 2011

Two major state agencies–including the governor’s budget office–shuffled millions of dollars into projects that wouldn’t begin for another 6 to 18 months to avoid having to return the money to the state’s coffers, according to recent audits covering parts of former Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s administration.

The Department of Transportation released half of its $2.8 million capital account to fund upgrades to the Metro-North commuter rail line on June 26, 2009, just four days before the fiscal year would end, according to one report from Auditors John C. Geragosian and Robert M. Ward. (more…)

http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/ctnj.php/archives/entry/op-ed_wanted_jobs_for_the_middle_class

by Sal Luciano
Oct 11, 2011 4:47pm

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is right to focus on reinventing Connecticut to grow jobs here for the first time in 20 years. However, before anyone can figure out policies to rebuild the middle class, we need to know what is destroying it.

According to the latest statistics from the Connecticut Department of Labor, decline in local government jobs is aggravating our current recession. Connecticut’s numbers are shocking. While we gained 4,000 jobs this year, we lost more than 6,000 government jobs. In August alone, over 85 percent of the jobs lost were public employees. The number of teachers, 911 dispatchers, firefighters that we have on the job is at its lowest level in over a decade. (more…)

http://ctmirror.org/story/14019/loftus-levine

Jacqueline Rabe Thomas
October 10, 2011

To understand the power Mary Loftus Levine enjoys as the new leader of the state’s largest teachers union, one has to look no further than Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s remarks to a room full of school superintendents at their annual back-to-school pep talk.

On what is one of the top issues for many superintendents — granting them the ability to fire bad teachers in a timely fashion — Malloy told the room that Levine will be helping his administration create and launch teacher evaluations to get bad teachers out of the classroom more quickly. (more…)

http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/hc-op-jobs-readers-reply-1009-20111009,0,7351451.story

October 9, 2011

The answer to why Connecticut — and the United States for that matter — has not created enough jobs lately is simple. The recession technically ended many months ago, but the job market has not rekindled because profit-making companies are spending profits on equipment, and enormous compensation for top management!

Yet, they are pressuring current employees to work 60, 70, 80 hours per week to meet demands instead of hiring more people. The Department of Labor needs to step in! Many companies are taking advantage of the definition of “salary” and are denying full-time employees of their right to a lunch break.

This is not only bad for the job market, but bad for employees’ health! Americans do not sleep enough, do not exercise enough and eat crappy food because they work too much. Profit hoarders think leaner staffs equal savings on employee benefits. However, overworked, unhealthy staffs equal bigger health care expenses. (more…)

http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-longevity-pay-suit-1008-20111007,0,2575400.story

By CHRISTOPHER KEATING, ckeating@courant.com
The Hartford Courant
October 8, 2011

HARTFORD — State employee unions have filed a grievance over longevity bonuses, saying veteran state managers should not receive the money when union members do not.

The dispute over the twice-yearly payments has been simmering at the Capitol for months, and all 14 Republican senators this week called upon Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy to outlaw the payments completely.

The highest payments currently go to veteran employees with the highest salaries and the longest service with the state, including longtime employees appointed to high positions by Malloy. Only employees with 10 years of service are eligible for longevity pay, but the payments are automatically made across the board and are not based on an individual’s performance. (more…)

http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/ctnj.php/archives/entry/retirements_increase_need_for_state_worker_double_dipping/

by Hugh McQuaid
Oct 7, 2011 7:02pm

With employees retiring at a quicker than expected rate, the state will be contracting more retirees to fill vacancies, according the governor’s budget director. Those workers will collect a paycheck on top of their pensions.

Office of Policy and Management Secretary Ben Barnes said his office has already approved a number temporary worker retirees, or TWRs, to fill critical positions left vacant by retirements. (more…)

http://www.westhartfordnews.com/articles/2011/10/06/news/doc4e89577b20eae282412769.txt

Published Thursday, October 06, 2011
By Mary E. O’Leary
New Haven Register

HARTFORD — The state is ahead of its projections on retirements with 2,693 submitted by Friday afternoon, a figure that is double what happens in a more typical year.

To avoid pension changes that go into effect on Oct. 1, workers had until 5 p.m. Friday to submit retirement papers.

The final figure is expected to increase as individual agencies calculate the numbers, before they are reported to the comptroller’s office, which released the 2,693 number. (more…)

http://ctmirror.com/story/14110/malloy-promises-maintain-state-aid-next-year

Mark Pazniokas
October 5, 2011

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy had good news today for what might be his most loyal constituency, telling municipal officials that he is confident of protecting local aid no matter what fiscal challenges confront him in the next fiscal year.

“It is our full expectation that we will honor our commitments already made to you, no matter how difficult those circumstances prove to be,” Malloy said, addressing the annual meeting of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities. (more…)

http://www.dailycampus.com/news/new-health-insurance-program-for-state-employees-1.2630242#.TpHRBBwoAc9

By Abigail Ferrucci
Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Employees of the state of Connecticut are starting to see savings and increased benefits on their health care plans.

Comptroller Kevin Lembo announced that “more than 50,000 state employees-or 96 percent of those employees on the state health care plan, have enrolled in the new Health Enhancement Program” according to a press release. (more…)