Letter: Let state workers try private sector

Your recent article makes the absurd claim that our legislature “promises only pain” to the state workers. But the article reads like a press release from the state workers’ union. The “facts” are:

1. State employees received raises in six of the last 10 years, including a 3.5 percent raise last year.

2. A survey of state employees concluded that 80 percent believe they are underpaid. There’s a surprise.

3. The state will now contribute 12.06 percent of salary and the employees 9.16 percent to the pension funds. Yet the pension funds are underfunded by $20 billion to $40 billion (the actual shortfall is probably even higher — elected officials and state unions across the country manipulate pension math to defraud the taxpayers).

Here’s a hint. Pain is when a private equity firm takes over a company and cuts staff by 25 percent. The state’s website indicates that the number of state employees increased by 540 from 2013 to 2015 (the latest data available).

When the state is unable to hire workers, I’ll be open to persuasion that salaries need to be raised. But right now, it looks like the legislature is doing a reasonable job of managing the workforce.

The article mentions no pay cuts and no recent reductions in force. In short, there’s no pain. The 80 percent of state workers who are dissatisfied should chase their dreams in the private sector and report back on how they like life outside the cocoon of the civil service.

This story was originally published January 12, 2017 at 1:25 PM with the headline "Letter: Let state workers try private sector."