If you wish to be added to the Federations email list, please write to fctopresident@aol.com

 

 

 

 

 

STATE COMPTROLLER KEVIN LEMBO IS TO BE COMMENDED FOR HIS DEDICATION TO TRANSPARENCY AND THE LAUNCHING OF

 

OpenPayroll.ct.gov

 

 

Mr. Lembo notes the following: This site provides payroll information for state employees, including weekly pay rates, annual salary rates overtime and other forms of pay. It also includes total fringe costs for each employee (fringe includes health care and retirement benefits paid by the state on behalf of employees, as well as catch-up payments to pay down unfunded liabilities*). The site is updated bi-weekly to reflect the typical state employee pay cycle and provide the most current payroll data available. Additional data points, including certain demographic information, are available in payroll data sets at data.ct.gov Read More...

 

 

On December 10, 2016, Jon Lender of

 

The Hartford Courant reported

 

State Police Rack Up OT; 70 Troopers, 47 Sergeants, Get At Least $50,000 Each Above Base Pay

 

For hundreds of Connecticut state police troopers and sergeants, their base salaries of $91,000 and $101,000 are just a launching pad. They also rack up tens of thousands of dollars in overtime payments, resulting in a total of $26.6 million spent in overtime at the department this year.

In fact, 41 sergeants, six master sergeants, and 67 department members holding the rank of trooper first class each have been paid more than $50,000 in overtime so far this year. Three regular troopers, whose base pay is $61,000 to $65,000, also have earned $50,000 in OT. Continue reading at http://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-lender-police-pay-20161208-column.html

 

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TOP STATE RETIREE PENSIONS ARE

$297,614

$295,292; $258,720; $244,086; $227,926; $224,354; $223,301;

 

 $222,472; $216,021; $213,566; $208,036; $204,850; $200,063!

 

 

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According to the States Latest

 

Fiscal accountability report fiscal years 2017 to 2020-CT.gov

 

 

 

CONNECTICUTS STATE DEBT HAS REACHED

 

$74.3 BILLION

 

AND IS DRIVEN BY STATE RETIREE PENSIONS

 

AND HEALTHCARE COSTS!!!

 

 

DEBT: State Employee Retirement System (SERS) $14.9 BILLION

 

DEBT: Teachers Retirement System $13.2 BILLION

 

DEBT: State Post Employment Health and Life $18.9 BILLION

 

DEBT: Teacher Post Employment Health and Life $3.0 BILLION!!!

 

 

 

 

December 11, 2016 

 

From:  The Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations
Contact:  Susan Kniep, President
Website: http://ctact.org/
Email: fctopresident@aol.com
Telephone: 860-841-8032

 

 

 

CTMIRROR.ORG reports

 

About one-quarter of all Connecticut state employees contribute nothing toward their pension benefit. Most others pay 2 percent, which is still well below the national average of 7 percent, as

 

Malloy, unions strike deal to stretch out spiking CT pension costs

 

State Senator Len Fasano called the plan the following

 

An incomplete bailout of a pension system that is completely out of control. Simply refinancing our debt is not the structural change we need to change the direction of our state. This package will add billions of dollars in new costs onto taxpayers beyond what is reflected in the governors summary. It is not a solution, and taxpayers deserve better. Continue Reading →

 

 

STATE SENATOR FASSANO IS CORRECT!!!!

 

TAXPAYERS DO DESERVE BETTER!

 

 

TAXPAYERS DESERVE OPEN DOOR

 

UNION CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS!!!!

 

For too long the door to Union Contract Negotiations has been closed to the very same taxpayers who, regardless of their ability to pay, are forced to finance the union contracts which were negotiated behind closed door.

 

The secrecy which permeates this process must end or there must be immediate and dramatic reforms to the two state mandates which are driving our state over the Fiscal Cliff. Those mandates are BINDING ARBITRATION AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING!

 

 

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TO VIEW ALL STATE PENSIONS BEING PAID

 

Click on the Following Web link

 

Pensions - Transparency Connecticut - CT.gov

 

Once on the website, click on the word Search,

next go to the column captioned

Total and click on twice.

 

The Following is what you will see for the Top Pensions Paid

$297,614; $295,292; $258,720; $244,086; $227,926; $224,354; $223,301; $222,472; $216,021; $213,566; $208,036; $204,850; $200,063; $196,979.

 

Continue at Pensions - Transparency Connecticut - CT.gov,

click search, then total twice. To move from page to page,

go to the top of the column captioned Total.

 

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THE RECENT PENSION DEAL WAS NEGOTIATED IN SECRET.

 

13 STATE LABOR UNION CONTRACTS EXPIRE IN 2016.

 

THEY TOO COULD BE NEGOTIATED IN SECRET!!!!

 

You can view the contracts at http://www.ct.gov/OPM/cwp/view.asp?a=2992&q=383228

 

 

ONE LABOR UNION CONTRACT HAS ALREADY BEEN NEGOTIATED!!!

 

 

That contract carries an extra multi-million dollar price tag of $28 million and is further explained by CTNewsJunkie in their article captioned State Trooper Contract Approved By Appropriations; Raises Wages.

 

At least one state rep raises a very relevant question-Can we Afford the $28 Million in additional costs.

 

More specifically, State Rep Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, said he appreciated the creative approach to spreading out the raises but he wondered if the states ballooning budget deficit could sustain a contract that increases costs $4.5 million the first year, $9.1 million the second year, and $14.5 million the third year. Read more at http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/archives/entry/state_trooper_contract_approved_by_appropriations_committee/

 

 

Now remember this is only one State union contract!

 

There are 13 more yet to be negotiated!

 

 

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As you can see, the majority of the States debt is due to what taxpayers are forced to pay to support the legally binding contracts our State legislators negotiated over the years with the State employee unions. And in some cases, held hostage by the unions through their lawsuits to include the $100 million we are now paying the State Public Sector Unions due to layoffs imposed by Governor Rowland years ago.

 

And there are more lawsuits to come as defined by CTMirror.org in their article captioned State employee unions suing to block group home privatization. The article notes-The Malloy administration plans to privatize 40 group homes, as well as services for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, moves aimed at saving the state nearly $70 million per year by next fiscal year. Read more at http://ctmirror.org/2016/10/13/state-employee-unions-take-legal-action-to-block-group-home-privatization/.

As the website of Connecticuts SEIU Local 2001 | Stronger Together boasts of the recent agreement they reached with Governor Malloy, others are not so lucky as Texas SEIU files for bankruptcy in wake of lawsuit judgment - Houston. Reporter L.M. Sixel writes the following-The Service Employees International Union in Texas has filed for bankruptcy protection, three months after a jury in Harris County slapped it with a $5.3 million judgment. Professional Janitorial Service successfully sued the union, alleging that its aggressive organizing campaign went too far and maligned the commercial cleaning companys reputation. Brent Southwell, Professional Janitorial CEO, said he is not deterred by the bankruptcy filing. Continue reading at http://www.chron.com/business/article/SEIU-files-for-bankruptcy-in-wake-of-lawsuit-10692546.php.

HERE IS A THREE YEAR COMPARISON OF THE IMPACT OF CONNECTICUTS LUCRATIVE PENSION AND HEALTHCARE RETIREE BENEFITS AND THEIR IMPACT ON CONNECTICUTS DEBT CRISIS
Unfunded Liabilities	Nov. 2014	Nov. 2015	Nov. 2016
Debt Outstanding	$21.3	$22.8	$23.5
State Employee Retirement System (SERS)	13.3	14.9	14.9
Teachers Retirement System	10.8	10.8	13.2
State Post Employment Health and Life	19.5	19.5	18.9
Teachers Post Employment Health	2.4	2.4	3.0
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles Deficit	1.1	0.7	0.8
TOTAL	$68.4 BILLION	$71.1 BILLION	74.3 BILLION