Daily Digest for May 13, 2020 Posted at 6:35 a.m. by Cody Nelson
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Good morning and happy Wednesday. We're talking state worker wages in this edition of Capitol View.
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Gov. Tim Walz will address the state at 6 p.m., a signal that something significant is afoot. He’ll announce whether to keep Minnesota in a peacetime emergency that gives him a range of powers and, he says, allows for a more-nimble response. He could also decide if it’s time to soon ratchet back on a stay-at-home order and restrictions on bars, restaurants and other entertainment venues.
More than 50,000 state workers thought they had a raise coming. Their contract agreements called for 2.5 percent raise this summer. But the agreements were from long ago, when the state had a $1.5 billion surplus — before the current projections of a $2.4 billion deficit.
But for the raises to go through this summer, lawmakers need to OK them. And it's becoming a partisan issue, as Brian Bakst's reporting shows.
Ryan Winkler, the DFL House Majority leader, says lawmakers must stand up for the workers. "Now is not the time to go after those employees that we're counting on and go after the contracts that they have fairly bargained for,” Winkler said. “Layoffs and wage cuts are not going to help the economy. Nobody is going to be helped by more people making less money." And Rep. Leon Lillie, DFL-North St. Paul, noted that many state workers are on the front lines of the coronavirus . “We know that our state workers are keeping us safe and healthy,” he said. “They’re our team, and these contracts were negotiated in good faith.”
Republicans, however, oppose the raises. GOP House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt says he's grateful for state workers, but he says the contracts are not affordable now and would be a diss to unemployed people. “We cannot put our heads in the sand and pretend like this does not exist,” he said. “We cannot continue on business as usual, pretending like money that’s not coming in is going to come in magically somehow.”
If the Legislature doesn't ratify the raise, workers will see a pay cut. Their wages would revert to what was agreed on in the previous contract. Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka opposes new raises, but said he'd let the pay hikes from last year stand . However, there wasn't any movement on that as of Tuesday. “We really would like to let them keep their raise from last year, and if they’ll work with us, they can do that,” Gazelka said. “But our only option at this point is to approve the contracts, which give the raise in July or to say no. And if that’s my option, then it’s going to be a definite no.”
For some jobs, not working at all pays better. Mark Zdechlik reports: "Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, people on unemployment in Minnesota were getting about half of the wages from the job they lost, capped at $740 a week. Now, in addition to the state money, they’re all getting $600 a week from the federal government through July. So, why go back to work?"
Take it from the top infectious disease expert: reopen carefully. NPR reports that Dr. Anthony Fauci is telling states to follow federal guidelines or things will get much worse. "If we skip over the checkpoints in the guidelines to 'Open America Again,' then we risk the danger of multiple outbreaks throughout the country. This will not only result in needless suffering and death, but would actually set us back on our quest to return to normal." |
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