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State employees: give us a raise

Delaware Public Media

After years of minimal pay raises, state employees rallied Tuesday to demand lawmakers give them their fair share, despite a tough budget year.

During the 2008 recession, state workers took a 2.5 percent pay cut to help Delaware overcome a historic $800 million budget deficit.

Since restoring that cut, workers have gotten four pay raises, totaling about 4.5 percent. Social Security recipients, on the other hand, have received nearly 15 percent raises in their cost of living increases over the same time period.

Keisha Daniels, a social worker from Wilmington for the past 10 years, says she can’t survive any longer on her $33,000 a year salary.

“Many of us are deciding to actually leave because we have no choice. I mean, with a masters degree and student loans I have no choice,” said Daniels.

“I love the work that I do, but I can’t continue to do the work on the salary that I make.”

They also railed against a proposed $6.5 million cut to their health benefits, something former Gov. Jack Markell attempted to do in his final years in office. 

Many state workers don’t collectively bargain for their pay and benefits like members of other unions do, or receive automatic, yearly pay increases like teachers.

The most recent state revenue forecast projects a $394.7 million shortfall, down from March’s report.

Middletown Republican Rep. Kevin Hensley says he thinks his fellow lawmakers can find the millions of dollars even in a tough budget year.

“If we could take a look at cutting, perhaps, within the state agencies, for instance, areas maybe like the Department of Education that clearly do not impact the teachers and the students and the operation of the schools, that might be a great place to start,” Hensley said.

Still, he says he’s not ready to endorse AFSCME’s demand to collectively bargain for salaries.

Gov. John Carney (D) didn’t propose a pay raise in his budget this year. Markell proposed two after restoring the cuts he and the General Assembly made in 2009.

Lawmakers on the Joint Finance Committee will begin finalizing the budget next month.

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