Our Opinion: Compensation issues for state workers spur frustrations

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Ever tackle a seemingly simple task that, once started, revealed greater complexity?

If so, you have an understanding of the challenges, and frustrations, of lawmakers serving on the Joint Interim Committee on State Employee Wages.

The problem is apparent: Studies rank Missouri state employees as lowest paid among their peers in the 50 states.

The obvious solution is to increase salaries.

The budget approved by lawmakers for the current business year, which ends next June 30, includes a 2 percent raise for state workers.

That is a short-term response, but hardly a long-range solution.

The charge to the committee, which received an extension to continue its efforts, is to deliver a “long-term strategic plan for increasing state employee wages.”

Considerations being addressed by the panel include:

• Is a consultant necessary? The committee has heard presentations from four prospective consulting groups.

• Is the focus confined to wages? Should benefits — health and retirement plans, sick leave, vacation, paid holidays — also be considered? If so, how do they compare to offerings from other states?

• Is restructuring and/or consolidation of job titles necessary or desirable? Would the result be an increase or decrease in total compensation?

State Rep. Mike Bernskoetter, the Jefferson City Republican who chairs the panel, acknowledges some state workers are demoralized — not only by their level of compensation, but by the committee’s pace of progress.

“It’s not an overnight process,” Bernskoetter said. “I think this (the panel’s efforts) will give us a long-term plan that state employees can count on in the future.”

All of which raises another challenge for the committee.

As more time elapses, the more expectations will grow that the proposed plan is both responsive and responsible.

More like this story

MO4LIFE 7 months ago

Is restructuring and/or consolidation of job titles necessary or desirable? Would the result be an increase or decrease in total compensation?

No all that is going to do is decrease pay by sliding the scale back so that the state can say oh you are at the top of your classification so we can't give you a raise you will have to try to get a promotion.

JCLifer 7 months ago

Poor state employees are going to lose their little 2% raise (the first increase of any type in ftve years) when Obama's 2% increase in Social Security witholdings.

State workers deserve better respect than the excuses and foot dragging this committee has been doing for the last two years.

tryingtomakeit 7 months ago

the problem is exacerbated with each and every hire. the new staff are hired at a lower salary levels than in previous years (because of the budget crunch). i know everyone is aware of increasing costs for everything (health insurance, food, gas, etc) and all the good people of Missouri must endure those hardships, but think of this---a good majority of the state worker staff in my facility have second or third jobs on the side. think of the jobs that are taken from others in the region because of the low salary given by the state.

JCLifer 7 months ago

Despite what the headline says, I imagine that it is all the DELAYS and DOUBLESPEAK that is the most frustrating. Why not do some across-the-board 10-20% raises to stop the bleeding, and also continue to work on some long-term improvements? That would make the most sense to me.

Paroquet 7 months ago

Nah. That's what consultants are for. You think they work for free? The General Assembly has been told by several of them, a number of times, and we all paid for it. But they just keep on shaking the magic 8-ball and wasting your money for an answer they've already gotten repeatedly.

JCsleeper 7 months ago

Translation: How can we kick 'em this year?

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