State legislators are so upset with the public employee unions for failing to deliver the contract concessions their leaders had negotiated, that they're not only going to give Gov. Dannel Malloy the power he wants to cut the budget, they're going to take a whack at surviving workers' benefits.
"Let's face it, legislators are frustrated that there was a reasonable concession package that was turned down," Sen. Donald Williams, the top Democrat in the Senate, said. "They understand we need to find savings everywhere now."
So in the bill the Democrats have prepared for Thursday's special session, they're targeting the bonuses for years of state service, or what the government calls longevity. They also want to limit the sick pay an employee can accrue to 10 days per year.
The Democrats' offensive comes after an e-mail, circulating within AFSCME urging union members to work together at the Capitol during the special session, accused Republicans of attacking organized labor.
"It's funny how all of a sudden the Republicans have become the bad guy in the eyes of the union here," said Rep. Larry Cafero, the House minority leader.
The Democrats' reforms of labor laws would take effect in the future; Gov. Malloy wants 5,466 layoffs to save $700 million in the fiscal year that begins Friday.
"These are not just numbers to me," said Dawn Tyson, an AFSCME local president with more than 12 years of experience at the Department of Social Services. "These are people with faces. My members don't feel safe. The clericals are the least salary-earning group in the State of Connecticut, so we always feel like we take the brunt of the damage in layoffs. We in fact voted in support of the agreement."
The bill gives the unions until the end of August to ratify the concessions package A union spokesman said SEBAC leaders are working to find a solution before anyone is actually laid off, something Sen. Williams calls "pulling a rabbit out of a hat."
James Finley, of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, said Malloy's plan to cut state subsidies to cities and towns by $54 million a year is "incredibly destructive."
He said Democrats in the House of Representatives want to restrict Malloy from making that cut without their approval.
