Unions tell Lamont they won't forgo raises to spare the rich from a tax hike

State employee unions wasted little time in letting Gov. Ned Lamont know that his hopes of balancing the next budget by assuming flat pay for workers won’t happen without a fight.

The State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition, which represents nearly all unions in state government, also renewed its call Thursday for Lamont to follow the recommendation of many of his fellow Democrats in the legislature to raise taxes on Connecticut’s richest households.

“We intend to bargain not just for fair wages, but for powerful and effective public services and for contracts that benefit all of Connecticut’s people,” SEBAC leaders wrote in a statement posted online at mid-day Thursday.

The $46 billion, two-year budget Lamont proposed Wednesday to the General Assembly relies on about $300 million in labor savings across the biennium.

The proposal saves $140 million by assuming no raises for all bargaining units with contracts currently in negotiations with the state.

Read more: https://ctmirror.org/2021/02/11/unions-tell-lamont-they-wont-forego-raises-to-spare-the-rich-from-a-tax-hike/