
Maybe it’s time for “the stuff to hit the fan” for everyone…not just State Employees. The economy of this state will not change until the whole picture is taken in and analyzed. Specialized long term donations from 45000 will not resolve the problems Connecticut faces….but only placate a public that already has a negative perception of State Employees. No matter which way the vote goes the public view of State Employees will remain the same, and in fact, a yes vote could make it worse by having the public thinking that we don’t even deserve our jobs. That’s the consequence of public service for everyone involved!
Carefully made cuts to programs where money is wasted are what is needed. Please …did anyone know that one of the plan B cuts at DSS is the continued elimination of the “casino bus run” see here (
http://www.andr.org/New_Folder/News/MallCuts050611.pdf) . (think your own thoughts on that!)
IMO…Special Interest Groups like the Universal Health Care Foundation of Ct. should not be allowed to influence State Policy (SustiNet/Healthcare Pooling), whether SEBAC considers this a conflict of interest or not, from my perspective it is.
SEBAC apparently doesn’t see having Dan Livingston, Chairman of the Board of CHART ( The parent organization of the Universal Healthcare Foundation of Ct.) performing State Employee Union negotiations on our health benefits as a conflict of interest, as unions in SEBAC support Universal Healthcare, and have received grants to support the education and promotion of universal healthcare through “Organizing and Advocacy Grants”
http://www.universalhealthct.org/grants-grants.php to”
Inform and engage individuals, small businesses, health care providers, and communities of faith, advocates, labor, and other key constituencies to participate in a collective call for quality, affordable health care for every Connecticut resident. The main focus of these groups was on state health reform, with some grantees also providing education and mobilizing individuals and groups regarding federal health care reform” from their website.
However….As individual union members,you or I may not think that way or support universal healthcare, or any other organizations with political motivations that may be supported by SEBAC. So specifically applied to this scenario….SEBAC’s interests might clash directly with the interests of many union members!
Real “concessions” are temporary…. meaning jobs cut by lay offs, that later can be refilled, furlough days assigned, that can be removed and a 35 hour work week, that can be extended and funds restored to programs that are cut … when (and if) the economy improves.
The long term structural changes requested to our pensions and health benefits have resulted from the “borrowing” by the past administrations who did not make the required deposits into our pension funds, in order to replace money from tax breaks handed out to banks and corporations, this money was never replaced
Do not open the 2017 Agreement! It is extremely unlikely ( I don’t like the word “impossible” but… ) that any Governor or adminstration will come in and offer us “more” in the future.
We may get hammered in 2017, or perhaps by then we will have less impulsive administration, but that is 6 years from now. I see no rational reason to give that up now.
While my heart goes out to those who may suffer (including us!)…this decision has to be made on business level, using a logical thinking process….the Governor is making his decisions based on that model…you might want to do so as well.
I will be voting no … heck NO!
see update 6/5/11
Filed under: 2011 SEBAC Agreement, Uncategorized | Tagged: 2011 sebac agreement, choices, Connecticut, Connecticut News, connecticut state budget, connecticut state employees, Connecticut state unions, connecticut taxpayers, healthcare pooling, life, sebac voting, sustinet, Vote NO, vote no to the sebac agreement | 7 Comments »