Pay Plan Not Endorsed
We are very discouraged to learn that Governor Sanders has declined to implement the reevaluation of the state employees’ pay plan, which is estimated to cost $41 million. It has been seven years since the last time the salary ranges for state employees have been adjusted and our members have been anxiously awaiting the announced revised pay plan, which was developed after a comprehensive study by the Office of Personnel Management. In the last seven years, state employees have worked hard through all of the difficulties of the pandemic while at the same time inflation has run rampant and the size of the workforce shrunk by almost 10%. We hear from agency managers that the failure to update the pay plan has made it difficult to recruit and retain talented employees, especially when the pay is already much lower than private business. We look forward to working with Governor Sanders to find solutions that will fit with her strategic priorities while recognizing the hard work of 23,000 state employees all over the state.