[Vision2020] Pay for Idaho state workers continues to fall

[Janesta]

Tom,

*blushing*

In September of 2012, I had brain surgery for a tumor. The tumor was
non-cancerous.. however, sometimes my brain feels like an egg beater was
inserted instead of surgical instruments. So, I've been known to write
something short and curt, while thinking something more complex. I read
your post about Idaho, then Colorado, the solution is.. "pun intended" a no
brainer. *chuckling*

At no time did I suggest the problem be written off as a joke. I was dead
serious. Idiotic resolutions such as Senate Concurrent Resolution 112, are
meant to be changed.

It appears to me, the poor and middle class are being downtrodden to the
point of giving up in their government, and not voting. From my view,  I
look at Wall Street criminals not getting a decent prison sentence, or,
even jail time at all, is very distressing.

As for a solution, in my opinion, until people use their vote as their
voice, sadly, things will stay the same.

Janesta


On Thu, Jan 2, 2014 at 2:09 PM, Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com> wrote:

> We can become proactive in evaluating why Idaho state employees are
> under-paid and take appropriate action or . . . as Janesta implies . . . we
> can write it off as a joke.
>
> Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .
>
> "Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
> http://www.MoscowCares.com <http://www.moscowcares.com/>
>
> Tom Hansen
> Moscow, Idaho
>
> "There's room at the top they are telling you still.
> But first you must learn to smile as you kill,
> If you want to be like the folks on the hill."
>
> - John Lennon
>
> On Jan 2, 2014, at 1:05 PM, Janesta <janesta at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> The solution is simple, legalize marijuana.
>
>
> On Thu, Jan 2, 2014 at 9:25 AM, Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com> wrote:
>
>> Courtesy of today's (January 2, 2014) Spokesman-Review.
>>
>> ---------------------------------
>> Pay for Idaho state workers continues to fall
>>
>> BOISE – Pay for Idaho state employees has now slipped to 19 percent below
>> market rates, according to the latest state report, a gap that’s been
>> growing for the past decade. Compared to private-sector wages, Idaho state
>> workers are now 29 percent behind; compared to surrounding states, they’re
>> 10 percent below.
>>
>> Not coincidentally, it’s been six years since the Idaho Legislature last
>> convened its joint committee on state employee compensation – which, before
>> that, had met annually to examine the issue and hear from state workers.
>> That’s about to change, with a joint committee scheduled to hold three days
>> of hearings next week.
>>
>> “I would hope that people would realize that we’re trying to do the best
>> we can here,” said state Rep. Stephen Hartgen, R-Twin Falls, chairman of
>> the House Commerce and Human Resources Committee. “Our state employees have
>> really held us together these last few years.” He added, “Nobody thought in
>> 2006 that by the end of 2009, we’d have lost a third of state revenue, but
>> that’s what happened.”
>>
>> In three of the last five years, lawmakers have set zero raises for Idaho
>> state employees; the year before last saw a 2 percent boost, while fiscal
>> year 2010 saw a 5 percent cut. Yet state law requires lawmakers to address
>> employee compensation every year and keep it competitive, even when state
>> revenues lag.
>>
>> The law requires Idaho state worker compensation, including salary and
>> benefits, to be “competitive with relevant labor market averages,” and
>> directs that, “In order to provide this funding commitment in difficult
>> fiscal conditions, it may be necessary to increase revenues, or to
>> prioritize and eliminate certain functions or programs in state government,
>> or to reduce the overall number of state employees in a given year.”
>>
>> “Otherwise, you’re going to get further and further behind market, and
>> that’s what’s happened currently,” said Idaho Legislative Services Director
>> Jeff Youtz. “There are some statutory requirements that I don’t think we’ve
>> been following the last several years that we need to pay a little more
>> attention to.”
>>
>> Youtz praised legislative leaders and the House and Senate commerce
>> chairs for bringing the joint committee back this year. “We’ll go through
>> all of that at these meetings, and that’ll be part of the benefit,” he
>> said, “is reviewing all of these appropriate statutes … and how things
>> work, what the governor’s role is, what the Legislature’s role is. I think
>> it’ll be a real positive exercise, regardless of the outcome.”
>>
>> By law, if state lawmakers don’t take action on state employee
>> compensation, known in legislative shorthand as CEC, for change in employee
>> compensation, the governor’s recommendation automatically takes effect.
>>
>> The law also requires the state Division of Human Resources to conduct
>> salary surveys each year and present the results to the governor and
>> Legislature. This year’s report concludes that the state’s benefits
>> package, including “strong” retirement and health coverage benefits, “does
>> not offset the below-market wages, and therefore results in a total
>> compensation program below the market average in both the private and
>> public sectors.”
>>
>> The joint committee, with lawmakers from both parties and both houses,
>> will meet next Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at the state Capitol, during
>> the first week of Idaho’s legislative session. On Wednesday afternoon, from
>> 3:15 to 5 p.m., the committee will take testimony from state employees in a
>> public hearing.
>>
>> Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls, said he sees “value” in
>> the committee’s proceedings. “I served on it for years,” he said. “It gave
>> me an additional perspective walking out that I didn’t have walking in.”
>>  --------------------------------
>>
>> Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .
>>
>> "Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
>> http://www.MoscowCares.com <http://www.moscowcares.com/>
>>
>> Tom Hansen
>> Moscow, Idaho
>>
>> "There's room at the top they are telling you still.
>> But first you must learn to smile as you kill,
>> If you want to be like the folks on the hill."
>>
>> - John Lennon
>>
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>
>
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