By Joe Rogalsky,
Delaware State News
DOVER — State workers would receive a 1 percent pay raise or $500, whichever is greater, under the budget proposal that Gov. Ruth Ann Minner released Thursday, a much smaller increase than the workers saw in July.
Should more money come on the table, the governor pledged that increasing the raises would be her top priority.
“I am pleased that I will again be able to recommend a salary increase for state employees, though I hope to be able to work with members of the Joint Finance Committee in the coming months to enhance it,” Gov. Minner said.
For the lowest paid state workers, receiving a $500 increase equals about a 3 percent raise.
The $15.2 million salary package includes 1 percent increases for state-funded positions at Delaware Technical & Community College and for attorneys in the Department of Justice and the public defender’s office.
The higher salaries would take effect July 1.
“I have made it a priority to ensure that our lowest paid employees receive a living wage,” said Gov. Minner, who unveiled a $3 billion operating budget proposal for fiscal year 2007.
“My budget proposals have targeted the largest increases to those workers and have also focused on limiting the cost of healthcare to all employees.”
The governor’s proposal falls far below the raises state workers received in this year’s budget, which averaged 8 percent.
“Giving 1 percent is ridiculous,” said Senate Minority Leader Sen. John C. Still III, R-Dover.
“With the price of energy, price of gas, price of home heating oil, inflation and increases in health insurance, I would be ashamed to offer 1 percent raises to my employees.”
The legislative Joint Finance Committee begins hearings next week on Gov. Minner’s proposals for fiscal 2007.
The panel will start drawing up the fiscal 2007 budget bill in the spring, when it usually adds spending to the governor’s recommendations.
“There hasn’t been a year yet that the JFC has not increased the governor’s proposal,” said Michael A. Begatto, who represents state workers through the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
When the JFC starts building the budget, the first thing lawmakers set is the salary policy for the coming fiscal year.
“Obviously, this is a starting point,” said Sen. Nancy W. Cook, D-Kenton, co-chair of the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee.
“It is not a unique situation. The pay package in the final budget is always more than what the governor recommends.”
Gov. Minner’s budget plans include $6.2 million to give teachers pay raises based on length of service and academic degrees they have earned, which would come on top of the 1 percent across-the-board boosts.
Delaware State Education Association President Barbara Grogg said teachers and other school employees deserved more than 1 percent increases.
“The governor put education as her first priority in (last week’s) State of the State (speech) and recognized the great educational improvements we’ve made . . . 1 percent doesn’t seem to recognize the people who make that happen,” she said.
The governor’s proposal would be of little help to low-paid education workers, Mrs. Grogg said, noting full-time service aides earn an average of $15,545 a year and instructional aides average $19,108 in salary.
“A 1 percent increase is not going to bring them to a livable wage when they are below the poverty line,” she said.
A State News reporter approached about 20 state workers Thursday afternoon to talk about the pay proposal, but they would not comment.
David B. Knight, senior vice president of the Correctional Officers Association of Delaware, said state employees are hurting from increases in gas, heat and other essential areas.
“With the high cost of fuel, it is hard for employees to make ends meet,” he said.
“They need a little bit more than 1 percent.”
Office of Management and Budget director Jennifer W. Davis said Thursday that the state had not determined how much more employees would have to pay for health insurance in fiscal 2007.
The decision will be made in several months, she said, but a “significant” increase is not expected.
Staff writer Joe Rogalsky can be reached at 741-8226 or jrogalsky@newszap.com
