Observations and comments about state government by State Representative Robert W. Pritchard.
Legislation to reform state pensions and health care benefits was tabled for further negotiations this summer. SB512 and SB175 stimulated a lot of anxiety among current and retired state employees and heated communication with legislators. I worked with the sponsors to encourage this process for developing long-term solutions.
The bills, which advanced without discussions with all affected stakeholders, were aimed at reducing the cost of employee benefits. For years the state has enhanced employee benefits and not set aside the full cost for those benefits. Now as those benefits need to be paid, the state finds the cost too high. Pension payments alone will soon exceed the state’s investment in education.
Among the big questions to be decided by the legislation are fair employee compensation and legality of making any changes to current employee benefits. This is where negotiation with the affected parties is critical. Lawsuits can be avoided and benefits can remain fair through this process.
Private companies have adjusted employee compensation—including wages, pension and health care—over the years in response to market conditions. Public sector employee compensation has been very slow to change and usually is enhanced through contract negotiations.
Public sector wages that once were considered low when compared with the same type of private sector jobs are not now generally the case. Public sector employee health care benefit costs have grown greatly as people live longer, use modern procedures and medications, and experience increased cost of services.
I encourage representatives of all stakeholders to engage in thorough, sincere efforts to find a sustainable, fair compensation package. I will be sharing your views with negotiators.
District Office 815-748-3494 or E-Mail to bob@pritchardstaterep.com
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All employees have been hurt by our for profit health care system that costs twice as much as any other industrialized country’s system and has worse outcomes. We have had double digit health care inflation for decades. Until this is fixed retirement security will be at risk for millions of Americans. Private sector employers have reduced wages and benefits as they have taken advantage of low wages and even prison and child labor in foreign countries. Nike was paying children 12c per hour to assemble their expensive Air Jordan basketball shoes. U.S. corporations have outsourced our jobs and our tax base as they dodge 100 billion in federal taxes with their p.o. boxes in the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas. The only way for Americans to enjoy a decent standard of living is to reinstate sane tax and trade policies. Our government is collecting lower taxes from the corporations and the wealthy than during Reagan’s terms. Our financial services sector is now 25% of our economy and the only thing that they create is debt. We need manufacturing and fair trade. U.S. corporations are more profitable than ever as they hire workers abroad. The middle class will not come out of this depression until we put the interests of America ahead of the CEO’s. There is no end to this corporate greed that has damaged America and threatens to make us a third world country.