Taxpayers versus Government Workers

Body: Senate | Journal Page:  9549
Scored? Yes | Right Vote: N
Author: Metzen
Acting on: SF2386  Date: 04/12/2010
Result: Bill Passed 48 - 16

SF 2386 is the legislation by which the House and Senate ratify the 11 state union contracts and the 7 state compensation plans for the few state employees who are not given union protection.  It has taken years of state deficits and hard line negotiation by the Pawlenty administration to obtain pay and benefit levels that have at least some relation to the terrible economic reality outside the cushy confines of Agencyville.  

This three page bill spends $39.5 million in new money for the biennium, which as added to base funding of $6.94 billion for the care and feeding of state bureaucrats.  The bill is the tip of the contract negotiation iceberg and is backed by many fiscal notes and thousands of pages of union contracts and memos of understanding. Click here for the online versions of the contacts.  Click here for the legislature's cost summary documents. 

One jaw-dropping feature in the 2010 - 2011 contracts is the absence of across-the-board increases as shown in the most recent settlement sheet.  That may be a bit misleading as some step and lane increases are granted in some contracts as noted in the meeting materials for June 29, 2009 and Dec. 16, 2009.   Given the realities of life outside of Agencyville, these contracts, although much more responsible than previous ratifications, are far too costly.  Don't forget all the sick leave, vacation time, the defined benefit pensions, early retirement options, great health benefits, low work load, etc...  Vote Red to send a signal that the days of the public sector being a burden on those they supposedly serve are over.  NOTE:  Failure to pass this bill would put the state in danger of reverting back to the more costly current contacts.  But so be it - all the better to highlight the issue to the voters.