Billions in the Hole? Time for Pay Raises!
by Kristina Rasmussen Even though the state budget is billions of dollars out of whack, many state government employees are set to receive a pay raise today. From the Pantagraph: SPRINGFIELD — Despite a state budget that is billions of dollars out of whack, more than 46,000 state workers will see bigger paychecks on Thursday. Judges, prison...
Even though the state budget is billions of dollars out of whack, many state government employees are set to receive a pay raise today. From the Pantagraph:
SPRINGFIELD — Despite a state budget that is billions of dollars out of whack, more than 46,000 state workers will see bigger paychecks on Thursday.
Judges, prison guards, welfare office workers and mental health specialists will see raises and cost-of-living adjustments worth an estimated $105.6 million.
Some of the increases are significant:
And, personal assistant workers represented by the Service Employees International Union will see a more than 7 percent increase on July 1. [my emphasis]
Quite a few folks are cool on the idea of giving raises during a major economic downturn:
“I just think it shows how Gov. Quinn isn’t serious about getting a handle on this problem,” said state Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth.
State Rep. David Leitch, R-Peoria, said companies throughout the state have cut back on raises during the economic meltdown and the state should follow suit.
“I think everybody ought to share in the pain,” Leitch said.
Governor Quinn is holding a press conference today at 10:30am to talk about his ideas for spending cuts. Here’s an idea: don’t hike wages and save $105 million. This would seem like a no-brainer, especially as many government jobs already pay far above the statewide average.