Sredzinski Slams SEBAC Labor Deal

From the Connecticut House Republican Office

HARTFORD – Rep. JP Sredzinski (R-112) voiced his dismay at the State Senate’s Monday vote to accept the state employees’ union new labor agreement package due to its insufficient savings relative to the size of Connecticut’s fiscal crisis, lack of structural changes, and its extension of the current union contract until 2027, including a multi-year no lay-off provision. The House, without any Republican votes, voted to approve the agreement last week, meaning those changes to the SEBAC agreement will take effect this year.

The labor agreement, negotiated by Governor Malloy and union leaders, was ratified by state employees earlier this month and is projected to save approximately $1.5 billion over the next two years through labor savings. The deal also restricts the state’s ability to lay off workers until 2021 and has other detracting factors, as well.

Rep. Sredzinski, while highlighting some of the structural changes in the agreement as “steps in the right direction” that he supports, denied the notion that the deal solved Connecticut’s fiscal crisis and indicated it could lead to funding cuts and tax increases in the future.

“This week, Democrats revealed their lack of interest in helping Connecticut taxpayers survive this fiscal crisis,” said Rep. Sredzinski. “We are facing a $5.1 billion deficit over the next two years, we still don’t have a budget a month into the fiscal year, people are suffering due to deep service cuts, and yet we spent an entire day discussing a contract with state employee unions. Even though the deal includes labor savings for the next few years, it does not even come close to addressing the extent of the budget crisis we are facing right now. It’s enormously misleading for Democrats to claim that this agreement can help our short or long-term problems in any way. Worse, the current, unaffordable union contract is locked in for the next ten years, meaning the legislators who voted for this agreement bear responsibility for the tax increases and service cuts Connecticut residents will likely experience in order to balance the budget until the contract expires.”

The deal also restricts the state’s ability to lay off state workers until 2021, an option Rep. Sredzinskiwarned against ruling out, given Connecticut’s ongoing financial problems, saying, “it’s shocking that the legislature voted to take this option off of the table if we face another budget deficit in the future – a possibility consistent with recent experience.”

No action was taken on either day on passing a two-year budget for Connecticut. House Republicans’ attempts to call their fully-vetted, no tax-increase budget proposal for a vote were rebuffed by majority Democrats. Democrats in the Senate also refused to discuss the budget.

Image via the Connecticut House Republican Office