Subscribe
Shop Local
Magazine
Gas Prices
Today's Poll!Committee sought for state employee wage study
Alison Aroun, right, looks back at the crowd as The Mule-Kicker Cloggers of Fulton perform during State Employee Recognition Day festivities at the Truman Building on Thursday. Photo by Kris Wilson.
Friday, June 1, 2012
As Missouri government employees are being recognized this week for their value to state operations, lawmakers are planning how to determine what improvements are needed to the employees’ paychecks and benefits.
Their plan is a follow-up to last year’s Joint Interim Committee on State Employee Wages, which confirmed what everybody was pretty sure they already knew: Missouri government workers rank last among the 50 states in wages earned.
This year, lawmakers approved Rep. Mike Bernskoetter’s resolution to re-authorize the 10-member committee.
Marry Me
Comments
him 11 months, 3 weeks ago
"Their plan is a follow-up to last year’s Joint Interim Committee on State Employee Wages, which confirmed what everybody was pretty sure they already knew: Missouri government workers rank last among the 50 states in wages earned."
And they needed a committee to figure this out! What they need to do is figure out how to fix it. What steps can they take starting this next year to fix it. One idea would be to give state employees a raise right off the top of every year. First thing before any money goes anywhere else. Then fund other pet projects and balance a budget after that.
JCsleeper 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Lip service, Part 2.
Silverado_Phil 11 months, 3 weeks ago
" what improvements are needed to the employees’ paychecks and benefits."
Now they're throwing in the benefits to see if that will bring them up from 50th. I'm sure the employees will be able to take those benefits and pay their mortgages, utility bills, groceries, gas, education for their children.
Bottom line - get rid of the tightwads on the budget committees that are limiting how much the employees should earn.
tonto_goldberg 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Adding a discussion of benefits is just another diversion, so let's try to make things clear to the next General Assembly. We are dead last among the states because benefits have been cut while pay has been frozen. When you are dead last, you need to improve everything. Niggling with the details of the health insurance program is not going to get us out of the deep hole we are in.
AMM22 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Missouri Ranks 37th of 50 in average cost of living.
That is the position we should try to attain in state employee pay.
It would make sense for pay rank to be equivalent to our cost of living rank.
JCLifer 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Even 37th would be one heck of a boost in pay! Might not be a bad idea!
Sequoia 11 months, 3 weeks ago
This is an awesome picture to go with the story. Is that the wage committee doing the dance, or state workers moonlighting for tips?
That girl with the chips seems justifiably concerned that something has gone haywire.
AMM22, pay commensurate with cost of living sounds good.
GrumpyGus 11 months, 3 weeks ago
We ask for pay raises and we get clogging octogenarians...both nice, but hardly interchangeable.
JCLifer 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Those dancers are state employees waiting for their deferred comp plans to grow so they can retire some day.
Silverado_Phil 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Paralysis by Analysis. Keep stalling in hopes that a) money falls from the sky, b) Mayan Calendar is correct and DoomsDay is coming in December, c) finish their term in office and leave the problem to the next guy/gal, or d) all the low paid whiners quit and go somewhere else.
Unless it affects their wallets directly, these politicians will keep on creating committees, creating agendas, setting timetables, all so they can say they are doing something about it.
Cut the beauracracy and do something positive. How hard can that be?
Merennulli 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Umm... bureaucrats are the state workers, not the politicians. I know everybody loves to use us as their scapegoats, but bureaucracy is just the personnel part of the implementation of government. It isn't evil, and only becomes a problem if it's mismanaged and grows inefficient. Cut inefficiency, cut waste, but don't cut bureaucracy just because you've been lied to about what the term means. In this case you'd probably be firing yourself.
Silverado_Phil 11 months, 3 weeks ago
I used the term beauracracy because I couldn't post a word that starts with 'c' and ends with 'p', four letters, rhymes with trap..... beauracracy also means: a system of administration marked by officialism, red tape, and proliferation
MO4LIFE 11 months, 3 weeks ago
What if all State Workers decided to go on strike or stage a 2 day walkout. I bet state gov't would take notice then if the good ol boy network didn't pass a law making it illegal for state employees to strike!
Sequoia 11 months, 3 weeks ago
No, they'd replace everyone with 22-year olds for half the labor cost.
Merennulli 11 months, 3 weeks ago
For several state jobs it is already illegal to strike, but for good reason (prisons, vital services). That said, the replacement with 22 year olds argument Sequoia makes isn't valid either, because there simply isn't the labor pool here to make that possible, nor is state pay enough to attract anyone into the area.
gofish 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Clearly, the state legislature, and specifically the Republicans, needs to come back next year with state employee RAISES as their number 1 item on their agenda that is usually focused on pro-business legislation. These phoney's can study and talk until they run out of breath. What is needed is ACTION, and no just throw a bone, but a real live raise that catches us up with inflation and the current standard of living. In the interim, state employees need to reqularly write letters to the editor of every news paper in the state so that it becomes an election issue for November.
spelchek 11 months, 3 weeks ago
"This money will go to partially cover the cost of a study to decide what to do with the money."
Please review our Policies and Procedures before registering or commenting
Or login with:
OpenID