Friday, May 8, 2009

Panel might block state merit pay raises

The state Civil Service Commission will consider suspending merit pay raises of some 60,000 state employees at its June 3 meeting.

The proposal affects the 4 percent pay increase classified state employees would get on their job anniversary dates starting July 1.

Louisiana State Penitentiary Warden Burl Cain, a member of the commission, said the granting of the merit pay raises could increase employee layoffs.

In past tight budget years, administrations have not provided funds for merit pay raises but allowed agencies to make other cuts to free up funds to pay the raises.

The commission proposal would stop that from happening.

8 comments:

Larken Doughty said...

I am not in favor of blocking merit increases.

Unknown said...

I am not in favor of that happening. Further, the state needs to give it's employees cost of living raises. We have not had one in quite a few years. If we don't get one soon, this state will have a major problem on they're hands.....people loosing they're homes due to not being able to pay house note. Everything is going up except for wages.

L.A. Goldenrod said...

The lawmakers waging war on the state workforce have been complaining about the $70 million dollars or so that they say the merit raises cost every year.

Let's back up for a second and think about who gets those raises. Those employees are people who make an average of less than $40 thousand a year. These are people who are likely to spend every extra penny that they receive. Every dollar of those merit raises gets spent at local grocery stores, department stores, gas stations, and restaurants.

So, taking the raises away means that these lawmakers, and the Civil Service Commission appointees doing their bidding, are taking $70 million out of the state economy during a recession, at exactly the time we can least afford it.

Nice work, lawmakers. You have any more damage you'd like to do to our state before term limits kick in?

TheHag said...

I smell rats!!!

Concerned State Employee said...

Doesn't any state employee merit a raise? If not, why do a PPR? Wasn't it just 5/9/09 that Governor Jindal declared State Employee Recognition Day and asked that the public about the may quality services employees deliver to our citizens and the difference we make in our communities? I know that DSS employees were registewring evacuees, manning emergency shelters and FEMA PODS during Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Gustav. We also worked 12-14 hour shifts/7 days a week administering emergency food stamps following Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. There are public health employees working overtime due to the potential H1N1 outbreak.

Concerned State Employee said...

Don't any state employees merit a raise? If not why do a PPR? The proposal to suspend merit increases for 1 year will boost the state's general fund by 13.4 million which is a miniscule savings in a 26.7 billion dollar budget. Wasn't it just Tuesday that Governor Jindal declared 05/06/09 as State Employee Recognition Day in Louisiana and asked Human Resource Directors and Communication Directors to educate the public about the many quality services employees deliver to our citizens and the difference we are making in our communities? Didn't Civil Service just revise the HR Handbook to include instructions on how to manage emergency services provided by state employees for floods, hurricanes and pandemics? I know that DSS employees were registering evacuees and manning emergency shelters and FEMA PODS during Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Gustav. I know that we also worked 12-14 hour shifts/7 days a week administering emergency food stamps in the New Orleans Convention Center and the Alario Center last year following Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. There are state employees now who are working overtime due to the potential H1N1 outbreak.

ag27 said...

If they hold our raises then we should make sure as reg. voters that the "high ups" even the govenor does not get a pay increase until we get ours. They sure could not live on what we make as state employees.

concerned said...

I don't see why state employees should be treated differently than other employees. With times being so hard no good employee deserves to have there merit increase withheld. $% is not much an increase in the first place. I think it's a crying shame that 4% is all the increase state employees receive.