Little known then, details of the deal that Martin O’Malley made last year to assure support by the state employees’ union have now surfaced. The cost to taxpayers, if it becomes a done deal, will be almost $100 Million this year – a $750 "bonus" plus 5 more paid furlough days for each bureaucrat – and even more in 2012 (2% pay raise) and 2013 (3% pay raise). And about that early retirement package he pushed – all of the retirees have been replaces and he’s hired even more.
The union bosses also make out like bandits – state employees who don’t opt to join the union must pay a "fair share" fee of up to $400 per year to the union, which should add about $5 Million per year to its slush funds.
See details here:
http://gazette.net/stories/02022011/polinew160610_32562.php
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
9 comments:
I don't belong to the Union and am not a State Employee. I'm on a contract which could end at any time due to funding. Lucky me though! I AM a taxpayer so I guess I can Pay It Forward to my co-workers!
Have they changed the definition of furlough?
2 US : a period of time when an employee is told not to come to work and is not paid
For the record, those five paid closure days do not cost the state anything. Most state employees are salaried, and I bet the contractual workers will not be paid for those days, as they are not paid for any holidays, so the state will actually SAVE money on that. As for the $750 "bonus", I would rather have the money back for the sixteen unpaid furlough days I had to take off the past two years. And don't bother telling me to be glad that I have a job. I, and every other state employee, show up to work every day and do our jobs and more.Oh yeah, most of my friends in the private sector got raises this year, so SOMEBODY is making money out there.
You are correct lastword unless you have time such as vacation or personal that you can substitute for those days.
^5 ( high five ) to Marc. I also am glad to still be working but most non State workers don't know how it feels to be cursed at 3 to 4times a week and have to sit and take it!
Customer-You cut off my Food Stamps.
Me-Did you come to your scheduled appointment to keep them?
Customer-No, I don't have time for that and I want you to tell my child why she won't eat tonight.
Me-Fine. Put her on the phone and I'll try and explain that Mommy did not have time to come in and keep the Food Stamps from being closed.
Customer-Quick curse and hangs up
The trouble here is the state of the economy. This looks like a pay back to the union. Omalley is in his last term in office and does not care what condition he leaves the stae in when he leaves office. State employees make more money that people in the private sector for similar jobs and have better benefits and retirement plans. I say this as a relative of a state employee and former state employee myself. Also I think it is atrocious that the extra gift to the union of allowing them to force people to join the union or pay dues anyway that was hidden in the agreement was terrible. People should not have to have their money spent to support people in elections that they have a difference of opinion with. Also the union person in the articl stated that ballots were sent to non union members. I know for a fact that my relative did not receive one.
As a retired State employee that served in the Collective Bargaining Unit from 1994 -2004 I have something to say. Their pay is less than the Public Sector for equal work, for lower classifications. Their retirement is less than the Public sector for most State workers which pays in 5% - 7%, excluding Politians, Teachers, State Police, Judges and appointees to name a few classifications. Yes they, the excluded, are the ones whose pensions are as high as 85% of their salary. True the Health benefits are the only real benefit the State worker can be satisfied with.
As for as furlough days the MD Universities has had the Administrative leave days for furlough days. Nobody wants to bring this up because it brings in the educational sytem. You need to investigate the quirks they have before you critize the State worker.
How can around 5340 people speak for 34,000? All Stste workers did not receive a ballot to vote neither. This is being called a Democratic process.
The Unions needed the 2009 law to get this slush fund for the Union, AFSCME. The original Collective Bargaining law stated that the Union/Association that won the vote was the representative at Collective Bargaining and had to represent all Stste workers in complaints / grievancies involving the Collective Bargaining agreement and could not charge non-members. AFSCME won with this knowledge and now they require payment.
Thank The DemocRATS like Martin O'Malley, Norman Conway, Rudy Cain and Jim Mathias for taking money out of the Family budget that was used for food, clothing, heat, electric and school supplies from children and the elderly that State workers support.
Since O'Malley and these DemocRATS allowed this fee, is it even legal? They are now forcing / mandating Union dues / fees on ones who have chosen not to be a member. This is the same as the Healthcare fiasco with its illegal mandates.
Why are you down on state and county employees so much, if we're not there where would you go for help? Yes I am a state emplyee and after 11 years I still make less then 30K a year (single, 2 children and paying rent,glad that I still have a job that could end anytime the budget is changed). Tell me if you're in need of something that the state or county provides and you go there and they are closed, how do you feel? I am not part of the union, I feel if you do your job the best you can then why need a union. Most of us are there to do the job we were hired to do and that is to help you "the public". I know some are not happy with the service they receive, I'm sorry for that. But we are human and are hurting right along with you. Yes it would be nice to get $750.00 out of thin air (it would help my electric bill), wouldn't you like that? I didn't ask for it and didn't even know about it until last week or so, but I am not counting on it either. I know this will cost you and me (also) down the line. Don't hate us because we have a job, we could be standing next to you tomorrow.
I don't know if some of you were talking to me about being down or criticizing state workers. I wasn't.
I was simply asking a question, not throwing stones or stirring the pot.
To those pointing out that employees in private industry have gotten raises, look at what their companies have done to be able to pay for those raises. The company I work for has had a 3% salary increase for the past 5 years. We have also reduced material costs, reduced labor costs by being more efficient, increased our product lines, increased sales, moved production around throughout the company to help increase productivity and reduce costs further, salaried employees have worked more hours and helped out anywhere in the company they could. In other words, we have done whatever was needed to allow the company to pay the higher wages. What have you done to allow the State or any other tax funded agency to be able to pay higher wages?
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