Connecticut State Workers Get 4-Year Pay Hikes

0:00Connecticut lawmakers just greenlit a four-year deal for 42,000 state workers across 32 unions. It locks in 2.5% annual wage hikes for the first three years, plus step increases based on service time or lump sum bonuses for top, earners. Year four stays open for renegotiation. These contracts ramp up cost big time, from $202 million in year, one to 722 million in year four, and benefits. Since Governor Ned Lamont took office, union raises have stacked up to 17.5% and climbing as he eyes a third term. Republicans push back hard, calling the raises unsustainable, and unfair to taxpayers footing the bill. House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora even dropped a pig metaphor for workers eating well while family struggle. Still, the Senate passed at 26 to 10, House 17 to 42, with a handful of GOP-S votes. This set up mirrors the 2022 agreement, which had the same 2.5% pattern and a re-opener. Unions grived about delays earlier,

1:04but now they've matched deals for police and other groups, settling after months of talks. Lamont held the workers as the backbone keeping Connecticut running smooth, saying it helps snag top talent in a tight market. With payroll jumping from 4.2 billion to 5.2 billion since fiscal year 2017, the state's betting big on stability. Overcuts. That's the story for today. Hartford News Today, Driven by AI