Colorado’s roughly 32,000 state workers need a 3.8 percent raise to catch up to their counterparts in the private sector, the state Department of Personnel and Administration said Thursday.
The state also needs to pick up a larger share of workers’ medical- and dental-insurance premiums, along with merit pay, according to a letter to the governor and General Assembly from Kathy Nesbitt, the agency’s executive director.
“The state’s policy is to provide employees competitive pay and group benefit plans that are consistent with prevailing practices in the market in order to provide a competitive total rewards package designed to recruit, reward and retain a qualified workforce,” she stated in the letter.
This past session, the Democrat-controlled legislature passed a across-the-board and up to 4.4 percent in merit raises.
That pay hike is expected to cost taxpayers $48.1 million a year, and the merit pay could cost $21.4 million.
Last year, a salaries report said the state needed to raise pay by 7.2 percent to compete with the private sector.
Republican leaders the validity of how salaries were compared to the private sector, pointing to an in June.
Sen. Kent Lambert, a Colorado Springs Republican on the Joint Budget Committee, said he hadn’t had time to analyze the lengthy report soon after it was released.
As to whether state employees can expect a raise, he said, “It may depend on state revenues and what else is being asked for.”
Scott Wasserman, executive director of the state workers union, said workers went four years without a raise until this year.
“We’re not going to make up for all of it, but we’re definitely hoping legislators fund at least another 2 percent raise and merit pay this coming year,” he said.
Wasserman also questioned the methodology of the salary comparisons. Since workers don’t usually leave for similar jobs in other states, the state should do exit interviews to find out where former employees are going and how much those jobs pay, he said.
The salary report next goes to the Joint Budget Committee, which will hold hearings in November and could ultimately become part of the governor’s recommended budget.
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174, jbunch@denverpost.com or twitter.com/joeybunch
