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PROTECT PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES’ SALARIES

Governor Pawlenty is proposing a two-year freeze to all public employee salaries to help balance the state budget.  In reality, the wage freeze does not save any general fund money and does not help erase the state’s $4.2 billion deficit.  The wage freeze is being proposed as a cost savings tool for state agencies, local governments and school districts to use when attempting to balance their budgets as a result of the Governor’s proposed reductions in state aid.

SEIU believes that the Governor and State Legislature should set the budgets for school districts and leave how the budget is implemented to negotiations at the bargaining table.   Local control in school districts has served the state’s education system well.  The current financial crisis should not change that tradition.  SEIU urges you to oppose the proposed public employee wage freeze – especially for school districts – for the following reasons:

PUBLIC EMPLOYEE LABOR RELATIONS ACT (PELRA) WORKS: Currently, public employee contracts are negotiated according to the terms of PELRA.  The Governor and State Legislature should not intervene in locally negotiated contracts.

WORKERS SHOULD HAVE A VOICE:   Decisions on terms of contracts should be negotiated between employees and employers.  Workers should be at the table as the decisions are made on salaries and benefits, without the intervention of the Governor or the Legislature.

PROPOSED PAY FREEZE WILL RESULT IN A PAY CUT:   Holding the level of pay for public employees steady as inflation, the cost of living and the cost of health care coverage increases will result in public employees essentially taking a pay cut.

WAGE FREEZE NOT A BALANCED APPROACH:   During the prosperous 1990’s everyone received tax rebates, but now public employees alone are being asked to take what amounts to a new tax on their income.  Policy makers should explore ways of raising revenue that would ensure that everyone pays their fair share to erase the state’s budget deficit.

QUALITY EDUCATION SYSTEM IS THREATENED:   State regulation of school district wages will hamper our public schools’ ability to recruit and retain talented and dedicated faculty and staff.  Without qualified and committed individuals running MN’s schools the quality of our education system will suffer.