Posted on 09/07/2006 10:21:20 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation Wednesday implementing a contract with California's largest state employee union that includes an average pay raise between 7.8 percent and 9.8 percent over two years.
The Republican governor also signed a bill installing a union contract with a similar wage increase for 12,000 highway maintenance workers, heavy-equipment operators and state employees in other related fields.
Under the deal struck in June between state negotiators and the Service Employees International Union Local 1000, the 87,000-member labor group retained its current health care package for most members, in addition to the two-year raise and a $1,000 one-time bonus.
The bonus, a lump-sum payment to offset the fact that some workers have not had a raise in as many as three years, is equal to a 2.3 percent increase above the SEIU 1000 average $43,000 salary. In addition, workers will get a 3.5 percent pay increase, retroactive to July 1, and a cost-of-living raise between 2 percent and 4 percent on July 1, 2007.
The state, meanwhile, received a change in pension formulas for employees hired Jan. 1 or later that relies on a three-year average of highest salary rather than on a single year.
Jim Hard, president of SEIU Local 1000, said Wednesday that the contract was a tribute to members "being strong and willing to fight for it," a reference to a potential strike threat that negotiators avoided this summer.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
average pay raise between 7.8 percent and 9.8 percent over two years.
Try getting that in the private sector these days.
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Boy, I sure am glad the gUb is standing firm on important fiscal issues., imagine if a dem was in office and how big the raises would be. (/sarc)
The unions won last year's elections, and are now collecting the spoils.
Arnold did the right thing in trying to destroy the control unions have over California. But he didn't pull it off and now he will forever be the butt boy for whichever union hands him a list of demands.
To make up for this, bet they just pile on even more OT just before retirement in order to run up their pension value.
"...., imagine if a dem was in office and how big the raises would be."
Why the (/sarc) tag ... You think they would be less under Angelides ?
You approve of them regardless.. lol
"To make up for this, bet they just pile on even more OT just before retirement in order to run up their pension value."
LOL ... as if they are not piling on as much as they posssibly can now anyway ...
Who do you think will pay for these bonds? Doh!
"You approve of them regardless.. lol"
Nope - I wouldn't care if they went on strike if I thought they were getting too much, but I don't know the details ...
Hows the situation with the courts ? In this climate could we depend on arbitration giving us a better deal then he worked out if he simply dumped his reponsibility and left it to unelected arbitors to force a decision ?
The courts, arbitration..? Ouch!!
To allow that intervention when the state is already been and will continue to run deficits at least thru the end of the decade beyond, sounds like a risky scheme to me.
The Golden Goo$e can only lay so many eggs, something will have to give, and you know what that means.
You can only love on credit for so long and then folks sttop giving you credit cards and loans. It's just a matter of time 'til the state goes bust..
We still have a number of unions to go including the prison guards union, their contract renewal has been put off 'til next year, conveniently enough for a few.
We are in deep doodoo .. deep doodoo. PhILth is not an ption but the limp spined Gub isn't offering much if any hope either.
Thanks for caring tho. ;-)
There goes the budget reserve!
"To allow that intervention when the state is already been and will continue to run deficits at least thru the end of the decade beyond, sounds like a risky scheme to me."
Exactly - that's why he had to go for the best deal he could get. The Unions know this also. Rock and a hard place. If he punted, he would have shirked his responsibility and left us wide open. Tough call, he made it.
Tough call.. LOLOL.
Unbelievable.
My question to you Norm is: How do they get posting privileges?
When I was a lad we had to drive down to the Electronic Orchard to take typing, grammar and spelling tests. Candidates also had to present some personal information so that the records of state hospitals could be reviewed for ringers and libertarians.
Maybe today each geographic area has its own minimum standards, but by agreement, once on board, they are free to cross-topic post.
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