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Under the terms of the state contract, negotiated by Carolyn Wade (and 6 other Local
Presidents), and proudly proclaimed by her as a "good deal," State Workers received a 3% raise last year, 2007,
and a 3% raise again this year, 2008. New deductions of 1.5% for healthcare and an extra .5% to repay the pension money
that state lawmakers and Governor Whitman "borrowed" took effect in July of 2007. Along with a downward payroll
adjustment of approximately $5 biweekly to compensate for the extra day in that year due to the Leap Year, and the
resumption of TDI and UC deductions on January 1, 2008, the net effect for many state workers was a loss of TAKE HOME
pay of $20 to $30 biweekly, when compared to the same person's paycheck from June 2007 (just days before the new contract
took effect). So much for the first year's raise. Now we have the second year's raise of 3% and it should
come as no surprise to many that people seem to be losing again.
The fact is very simple, as our income increases,
so does the amount of deductions that are percentage based. Income tax (federal, state and in PA, municipal), FICA,
TDI, UC, Healthcare deduction, union dues and pension deductions are all percentage based. After factoring those deductions
into the equation, ststeworkers' net raise was LESS than 2%. In fact, it was barely 1.9%. When you post that
against a cost of living index that has risen MORE THAN 8.5% just since 2006 to the present, one can begin to see that we are trailing
the cost of living before the first increased/new deduction is made.
We have to suffer 3 more years with this contract.
Do we really want to negotiate another contract like this one? Already we have lost Lincoln's Birthday as a holiday
beginning with the NEXT contract. We didn't get a chance to use it as a bargaining chip for something else...we
simply lost it. We already lost the day after Thanksgiving. That's 2 days we've lost and NOTHING bargained
to replace it. With an average state worker salary of $52,000/yr., those 2 days equate to $400, OR A LOSS OF .8%. Granted,
the loss is not noticeable because instead of being off, we will now work for the money, but for those who had to work on
those days, they lost their right to overtime for Lincoln's birthday and Comp time for the day after Thanksgiving.
We can't afford another contract like this one! There IS a better way!
It's time for change... Tom Bruno IS that change!
VOTE REFORM...
VOTE
CHANGE...
VOTE TOM BRUNO
FOR LOCAL 1040 PRESIDENT
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