Colorado state employees make pitch for pay - Denver Business Journal:

olimstgon.blogspot.com
billion in tax exemptions that the statre offers in order to improv pay and health carefor state-governmentg workers. The request came two weeksd after an audit statedf that Colorado state employeesx make an average of 7 percenr more than people working similar jobs in the public orprivatwe sectors. And it came just hoursx after the JBC learned that it must closra $384 million shortfall in the stat budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The finalp budget for the 2009-100 fiscal year requires state employee to takea 1.82 percent cut in personal compensation.
Employee s are expected to take four furlough days during the fiscal year and are looking at othe r ways to hit the totalcompensatio reduction, said Scott Wasserman, political director for Colorado Wins, the state workers’ union. But Sheldon a sergeant with the state’z La Vista prison, warned that the hirinfg freeze that is in placwe has led to mandatory overtimr and lower staffing levels than thoss that are recommended in Department of Corrections And Terry Campbell of the Associatio of Colorado State Patrol Professionals warned that the state could find itself losing its best and brightest employee s if it does not do something to improvecompensationb packages.
JBC Vice Chairman Jack Pommer, a Democratic representative from Boulder, questioned how employeexs expect tosee multimillion-dollar increases in pay or benefits at a time when the states is looking at cutting valuable programs. “Were you guys here today for our current Pommer asked a quartet ofstate workers’ representatives speakinf to the JBC. “If this is a discussion about the nextfew it’s so far out of the ballpark that I’jm having a hard time figuring what you’re working toward.” But Mark Schwane, general counsep for Colorado Wins, said that the Legislature should consider cutting tax exemptions now given to businesse and individuals.
Although Schwane did not specify which tax exemptions shouldbe cut, the eliminatiobn of some could generate more than $100 million. The largest tax according to 2006 numbers, are those for tangibl property that becomes an ingredient in a manufacturedsproduct ($507 million), salesz of groceries ($214.6 million) and gasoline salew ($179.2 million). Wasserman said Colorado Wins does not want to eliminate the grocertytax exemption.