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State workers need a little taste of reality

Thomas W. Heinonen North Windham

Publication: The Day

Published 08/31/2010 12:00 AM
Updated 08/31/2010 05:49 AM

The letter from Shariq Iqbal titled "State employees part of solution to crisis," published Aug. 27, castigating fellow state employee Donna Roberto for her remarks that state workers are paid too much and receive unbelievable benefits, is disingenuous. Visit www.ctsunlight.org to discover their respective salaries. Mr. Iqbal is paid extremely well, for not even a 40-hour week. Ms. Roberto should be commended for telling it like it is.
The writer's statement that public employees "gave back $750 million last year" is a good lesson in union semantics - you can't give back something you've never received. Pay cuts are givebacks. "Dollar for dollar, public employees do cost-effective work" is debatable. Friends and acquaintances have worked for the state, primarily at UConn and Eastern Connecticut State University, and what they did, didn't do and got away with wouldn't be tolerated in the private sector. In today's economic crisis, state workers' pay should decrease with revenues, as happens to private sector workers through pay cuts, loss of hours and benefits and layoffs. State employees have immunity from these harsh realities.
State job tenure should last a fixed period, say 10 years, enabling all citizens a chance, not just those who "knew someone" to get their state job.

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