State Employees’ Reopener, Recruitment and Retention Agreement Overwhelmingly Passes General Assembly

Agreement supports protection and expansion of communities’ access to stable, reliable public safety, health, education and additional services

On Tuesday, April 23rd, the House and Senate voted to approve the reopener, recruitment and retention agreement reached between the Lamont Administration and State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) and ratified by the 45,000 state employee union members last month. The agreement is aimed at addressing the state workforce’s recruitment and retention challenges through ongoing labor/management processes and by providing fair pay raises comparable to the private sector and consistent with encouraging workers to remain in public service.

When legislators and the Governor have to debate over the budget, they often forget to balance the cost of not investing in critical public services - from increases in the need for d future social assistance programs toand increased maintenance costs on critical infrastructure to a weakening workforce pipeline. These failures to investment may not end up on the balance sheet at the Capitol, but they are deeply understood in the homes of Connecticut residents. 

The legislators that stood up today and voted in favor of the agreement chose to uplift working families rather than the special interests of opponents fueled by anti-worker billionaires. We must continue to strive for a Connecticut where every resident has an opportunity for a brighter future. This means we must also fully and permanently fund public higher education.