Montana Democrats Support State Employee Pay Plan Bill
Helena, Mont.--The Montana Democratic Party today stated its official support for House Bill 13, the state employee pay plan.
Representative Cynthia Hiner, D-Deer Lodge, sponsor of the bill, said, "I am honored to carry this bill for state employees. I work every day with state employees at Montana State Prison, and I see how hard they work. From nurses to correction officers, chemical dependency counselors to custodians, they keep Montana safe, often at risk to their own safety. The same is true of state employees in all types of jobs across the state. This small salary increase is well-deserved."
House Bill 13 contains a 1 percent increase for state employees in January 2012, and 3 percent in January 2013.
"State employees work in every community in this state," Hiner continued. "They keep our roads clear, take care of our veterans in their final years, conduct research that creates new jobs and businesses, keep our food supply safe, protect our children and much more. They provide crucial services that help our citizens and our economy thrive. They do work that matters for all of Montana's people."
House Bill 13 is scheduled for a hearing today in House Appropriations Committee. It incorporates the agreement bargained between Governor Schweitzer's Administration and Montana's three largest public employees unions: MEA-MFT, Montana Public Employees Association, and American Federation of State, County, & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) of Montana.
Rank-and-file members of the three unions voted to ratify the agreement in November. House Bill 13 must now pass the state legislature.
Representative Jon Sesso (D-Butte), House Minority Leader, said, "Democrats appreciate the good work our friends and neighbors, our state employees, do for Montana. We appreciate that they were willing to take a two-year pay freeze last session in order to help Montana weather the Great Recession. They stepped up and made that sacrifice to keep the state's budget in the black. Now that state revenues have picked up, it is only fair to provide them with a modest pay increase to help keep up with the rising cost of living."
Hiner noted that "state employees have struggled for years with budget cuts, staff shortages, vacancy savings, and salaries that don't keep up with the cost of living. Some of them qualify for food stamps. Many of them work a second job to make ends meet. In my profession, nursing, I can tell you that nurses who work for the state will make substantially less than the private sector if these increases aren't approved. That makes it hard to recruit and retain good employees."
In addition, she said, "every dollar state employees spend in their local communities helps local businesses and the local economy."
Carol Williams (D-Missoula), Senate Minority Leader, said, "Senate Democrats look forward to the Republican majority in the House passing this bill quickly and getting it over to the Senate. There are several bills that are essential for the successful conclusion of the legislative session. The pay plan is one of those bills. Since the pay plan has been negotiated with the unions, under the process called for in state law, it is one of the easier decisions this legislature has to make."
