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Union leaders and front‑line state employees urge senators not to cut negotiated raises, cite staffing and safety gaps
Summary
Union leaders and state employees told the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee to preserve negotiated cost‑of‑living and step increases and warned that cuts would worsen chronic staffing shortages and safety risks in corrections, mental‑health facilities, parole and probation, and taxpayer services.
Union leaders and front‑line state employees spoke during the public‑comment portion of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee hearing on the Department of Budget and Management personnel budget, urging senators to reject DLS's recommendation to void negotiated pay increases and to avoid further reductions that would worsen staffing shortages.
Patrick Moran, president of AFSCME Council 3, told the committee, "We strongly oppose the DLS's recommendation to cut the negotiated COLA and merit increases our members have earned for 2026." Moran said many state employees have lost ground to inflation over the past 15 years and urged the legislature to preserve the negotiated…
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