A state Senate committee has approved a 5-percent pay cut for all state employees, but workers don’t need to grab for their wallets quite yet.
The measure – a Constitutional amendment – requires a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate to be placed on the Aug. 3 ballot, and Democrats in both chambers seem committed to blocking the measure.
Republicans have spoken of a need to make deep cuts in wages and benefits to help address the state’s structural deficit, but many Democrats have maintained that state employees have already made plenty of sacrifices and concessions in recent years. Unionized employees this year are expecting a long-awaited 3-percent pay raise.
Given the amendment's near-zero chance of passage, it appears likely it’s just a political ploy by Republicans to curry favor among cut-to-the-bone voters in this year’s election.
