*Please go to the end of the article for an update on this developing situation.
While it has not been “officially” confirmed, I am hearing leadership in our state government is talking about giving ALL Delaware state employees a 2% cut in pay for FY2018. The only exception would be prison guards due to the negotiated agreement with them. The other possible option is increasing health insurance premiums by 50%. This is going on behind closed doors folks with ZERO transparency. None. It is the day before they are supposed to be passing a budget and it has not been released to the public at all. There is NO option to get your voice heard.
The House and Senate are taking a break to eat dinner. They should be back on the floor around 8:30pm. Longhurst’s House Bill #240 which could gut itemized deductions in Delaware and raise YOUR taxes will get a vote. From the legislators and folks down there I’ve been talking to, the legislators are in a panic mode with Governor Carney seemingly clueless. No budget has been written. This is not good folks. At all. I’ve heard the cuts in the budget referred to as a “bloodbath”. We have school boards able to raise taxes through the match tax scam. We have charters keeping their transportation slush fund. We axed the estate tax. There is ZERO organization here folks. And I won’t even get into the damn bickering between the Dems and the Republicans. Grow up. We don’t care. Do the right thing for our state!
So this is what you need to do citizens of Delaware: get to Legislative Hall tomorrow night around 5pm and swarm every single legislator you can. Show up IN PERSON.
Ironically, the “Find Your Legislator” portion of the Delaware General Assembly website appears to be not working. At least for me. But you view a full list in the blue links here:
Delaware State Representatives
This absolute crap and farce of a state government has been operating in the shadows for far too long. They know this is going to hurt every single state employee but they want to rush this budget and then head off on Summer vacation. This is shady and it is happening now. We have State Reps joking around about last names, taking up time when there could be meaningful conversation that the public can here about all this. I heard one state rep ask for a bill to be tabled until January because of the public’s need to know more about the budget. Schwartzkopf shot him down. I don’t know which rep it was, but we need to hear more of that.
Remember, tomorrow. Make YOUR voice heard LOUD and CLEAR!
Updated 6/30/17, 1:24pm: David Burris, the Chief of Staff for the Delaware Senate Republicans put a response up on Facebook that there has been zero discussion about pay cuts on their side of the aisle.
The Season Of Myths 
These people lum active state employees in with the retirees. The (merit system) retirees can hardly afford the cost of the plans now. Retirees retired with a promise, keep the promise.
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Sorry. There is an alternative. Suspend all pay raises and step increases and save $100 million. Unless you suspend the step increases, what have you accomplished? Just another screwing of the Merit System employees who do not get step increases.
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How about we have a 2% sales tax on everything but food. It won’t hur the poor disproportionately and they’ll get more for their 2% than cutting our pay. How is that even legal??? Why is it always the answer to cut the pay of state employees who already don’t make the market rate for their jobs?!? Contact the governor and tell him he better not do this!
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Karen,
The cost for the state to administrate and run a sales tax system in the state would probably be about 2% (infrastructure, software, staff, etc.), it would be a net zero in revenue generating AND it takes away a marketable advantage to all DE vendors in competition with other states. You’d have to have a 3-5% rate and then you’ve completely lost your marketable advantage in the tri-state area. Not good.
It is not always the answer to cut state pay but when you and the other employees paid for by the state equate to the largest employer of the working public in the state, cutting wages or increases to state employees yields large savings.
Click to access 516834b42847b.pdf.pdf
As far as claiming state employees are underpaid, sorry but that simply isn’t the case. While most private sector jobs saw their health premiums rise 40~60%, state employees were shielded from these increases which has only added more to the budget shortfall. The ACA did not lower healthcare costs, it transferred the costs from those who weren’t paying / working to those who already were. State employees by and large have the best health insurance coverage of anyone in the state.
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/politics/2016/04/18/chamber-public-sector/83188464/
Delawareans need better representation. They need representatives not beholden to special interests like unions and lobbyists. Citizens should not have to mass outside legislative hall to get action. Representative gov’t should not have to be shamed into doing the fiscally and legally responsible things they are entrusted to do. What we have are representatives locked in a perpetual state of ‘chicken’ (Who will blink first). OR single party control of let me ram it down your throat. They have known the budget situation for years and they have to rush through a half arsed proposal at the last minute??? Rubbish. Time for a recall of some representatives.
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