Mid-Missouri lawmakers weren't surprised by the Economic Policy Institute's findings, released Thursday, that Missouri's state workers earn 23.9 percent less than their private-sector counterparts.
And that public employees overall earn an average of 15.7 percent less.
"We've seen that issue for a number of years," said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia. "We have seen (other) studies in the past that show that, for state workers, Missouri tends to be on the low end.
"I think that's unfortunate. ... Obviously, the difficulty making an adjustment to that - in an economic downturn such as we're in - is very, very difficult."