2012 June | Colorado WINS

Durango Herald: Employed by the state? A merit raise could be in your future.

Posted on June 7, 2012 by mlink

Read the original story here.

DENVER
- State workers will be eligible for merit pay raises for the first
time in four years, thanks to a reform of the personnel system that Gov.
John Hickenlooper signed into law Wednesday.

Hickenlooper said the bill was the first significant change in the way the state hires, pays and fires workers in 40 years.

State workers have had to do “more with less” in an era of tight budgets, he said.

“If you can’t reward people when they’re going above and beyond, it’s very hard to maintain morale,” Hickenlooper said.

House
Bill 1321 sets up a new merit pay system, to be funded by unspent money
in each department’s payroll budget. Raises will be targeted toward
deserving employees who are stuck at the lower end of the pay scale for
their jobs.

The bill also eliminates the
practice of “bumping.” Until now, an employee who was laid off could
return to a previous state job and bump out a less-senior worker.

Bumping is disruptive to departments and hard on morale, Hickenlooper said.

Other
parts of the bill address how the state hires new employees, but they
will not take effect unless voters pass a ballot initiative this
November.

The state constitution establishes
much of the personnel system, so the Legislature has to ask voters’
permission to change it. The question will appear as Amendment S on
ballots this fall.

Democrats, Republicans and the state employees union all backed the reforms after long negotiations, sponsors said.

The new system rewards merit and excellence, said Sen. Keith King, R-Colorado Springs, a sponsor of the bill.

“I think that’s what we need to be doing for all the employees of the state of Colorado,” King said.

Paul
Boni, a laboratory coordinator at the University of Colorado at
Boulder, spoke on behalf of the state employees’ union, Colorado WINS.

“State
employees have taken it on the chin for about 10 years now, with a
dysfunctional pay system, layoffs, increasing workloads, increasing
health-care costs,” Boni said. “This bill finally gets us going forward
and lays the foundation for the first raise any of us have seen in four
years.”

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Governor signs HB 1321 and sets foundation for pay increases

Posted on June 6, 2012 by mlink

On June 6th, Gov. Hickenlooper signed HB 1321, a bill that makes changes to the personnel system and lays the foundation for state employees’ first pay increase in years. Colorado WINS members were active participants in this process from the beginning, advocating for the needs of public employees. WINS President, Paul Boni, spoke at the bill signing in the west foyer of the Capitol.

“State workers have taken it on the chin for a decade now, with layoffs, increasing workloads, and higher health care costs for workers and their families. HB 1321 finally gives us something to look forward to and lays the groundwork for the first real pay increases in four years.”

Colorado WINS president Paul Boni makes a speech during the signing of HB 1321. Behind him, left to right, are Sen. Keith King, Gov. John Hickenlooper, Rep. Mark Ferrandino and WINS Executive Director Scott Wasserman.

HB 1321 takes effect September 1, 2012 and begins the process of increasing wages for state employees who are stuck at the bottom of their pay range. It also makes changes to retention rights, protecting seniority for employees, and adds new options for state workers who face a layoff due to reorganization or reduction in workforce.

Gov. Hickenlooper signs HB 1321 at the Capitol on June 6, as witnessed by, left to right, DPA director Kathy Nesbitt, Speaker Frank McNulty, WINS president Paul Boni, Rep. Mark Ferrandino and WINS Executive Director Scott Wasserman.

This bill is a step in the right direction but work remains to fix longstanding problems. If you are not a WINS member, join Colorado WINS today and stand with the only organization fighting to improve quality of services, working conditions, safety, pay and benefits for state employees. It will take an even stronger organization to win additional victories for Colorado’s workers.

A companion piece of legislation, HCR-1001, was approved by the General Assembly and will go before voters on the November ballot as Amendment S.

Amendment S is a package of constitutional changes to the classified personnel system. Colorado WINS has launched a website, www.watercoolercolorado.com, to help workers and the public navigate the issues around Amendment S. Based on feedback from workers, members and non-members, the Colorado WINS Executive Board decided to remain neutral on this package. We believe the personnel system, which protects taxpayers and workers alike, will remain intact regardless of the outcome of Amendment S.

WINS member and CDOT employee Tony Caruso speaking to the media after HB 1321 was signed into law by Gov. Hickenlooper.

Although our official position is to remain neutral, Colorado WINS will be actively engaged in the discussion on Amendment S to help citizens and state employees understand what it does and does not do.

Click here for the Governor’s media release on HB 1321.

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