Solving CT's Economic Crisis, Protecting Public Services

In 2009, the state employee union coalition (SEBAC) stepped up to the plate when state public service workers ratified a $750 million cost-savings agreement to help reduce Connecticut's budget deficit and preserve vital services.

Fast forward to 2010. Even with our cost-savings agreement, Connecticut continues to face a growing budget deficit. Cuts proposed by Governor Rell and many legislators will destroy our state's quality of life, hurt the most vulnerable among us, and damage our economy.

On January 28, 2010, SEBAC leadership met with representatives of the Rell administration and exchanged our ideas on how to help solve the economic crisis. We showed that once again, public service workers are willing to be a crucial part of the solution as we offered a "Jobs For All Working Families" plan to get people working and economy moving again. 

Now that some of the candidates who are seeking to replace Governor Rell are proposing more labor cost savings to close the current and future deficits, it is more important than ever for our members to offer "better choices." 

In March, Governor Rell injected herself into the current campaign and presented a series of further concessions from members of the coalition's unions. Her budget chief's letter and their specific demands send a clear message that Connecticut needs real leadership, not political pandering.

Our coalition remains committed to the "win-win" solutions union members put forward back in January. And now that the governor and legislative Republicans are pushing another retirement program for State workers, our ideas for producing cost savings and improving delivery of services are more important than ever. 

State union coalition leaders have raised concerns about the impact of a thousand or more additional retirements on the quality of public services and the state pension's unfunded liability. More importantly, the governor's representatives still haven't considered our 18-point plan presented in January that offers greater cost savings than early retirements without the estimated $1.2 billion hole they would blow into the pension fund.