Back wage bill for state employees now on Senate floor
A state Senate committee acted May 6 to approve an AFSCME-backed supplemental appropriation to pay all remaining back wages owed to state employees. The legislation, HB 3763, now goes to the floor to await a final vote by the full Senate. If we can build a veto-proof majority for the bill, the governor will have no choice but to sign it.
AFSCME members should call their senators and urge them to support and co-sponsor HB 3763. Call your senator using the union’s legislative hotline by dialing 888-912-5959 or using the Click-to-Call tool, or look up your senator’s name and contact information here.
Some 24,000 state employees are still owed back pay for wages earned from July 2011 to July 2013 in the departments of Human Services, Corrections, Juvenile Justice, Natural Resources and Public Health. The supplemental appropriation would provide $63 million to finally pay employees the remaindr of what they are owed.
AFSCME has never given up the fight to make sure the contract is upheld and every penny earned is paid. Member activism has been a critical piece of the battle every step of the way, working together with the union’s legislative team and attorneys to win a series of interim steps both in the General Assembly and in the courts.
The bill passed the House on April 15 on a 88-23-2 vote. Click here to see the roll call and learn how your representative voted.
Previously in the back pay fight:
AFSCME wins appellate court decision on state employee back pay
State employees welcome back wage payment
Progress in the fight for back pay
Member activism builds support for back pay
