Legislative Quick Update - 1 week left

February 29, 2008

Progress of bills impacting AFSCME members.

SB 150, the budget bill: AFSCME continues to work to make sure that any salary increase contains a floor so that every state employee receives a more reasonable salary increase than the Governor recommended. AFSCME’s lobbyist believes there is a possibility of achieving a minimum (or floor) of $800. The $800 minimum would boost the pay above what the Governor proposed for everyone earning less than $26,666. This minimum is lower than we would like, but every AFSCME member is asked to call their Senators and Delegates and ask them to support a minimum salary increase of at least $800 for all state employees. West Virginia state employees are the lowest paid state employees in the country. We are 50th out of 50. It’s time the Governor and the Legislature provided state employees with a reasonable salary increase.

HB 4076 gave the Legislators a $5,000 salary increase an increased the increment pay from $50 per year to $60 per year. Even with this increase to $60 per year of service, state employees’ increment pay is far less than the $32 a month that school service personnel receive. We receive less than 20% of what service personnel receive in increment pay. However, this is the first time that state employees’ increment pay has been increased in years. AFSCME will adopt a long-term strategy to systematically increase increment pay for state employees.

HB 4328 will allow state employees to serve as a poll worker. HB 4328 has passed the House. When the bill was taken up for consideration by the Senate Judiciary Committee later this week, AFSCME worked with Senator Jeff Kessler (Chairman of the Judiciary Committee) to get an amendment adopted that will allow state employees to participate in Democrat and Republican state and national conventions. This amendment will be up for consideration on the Senate floor Monday March 3rd. AFSCME’s lobbyist expects this amendment to be adopted and the bill passed later next week. Federal Hatch Act requirements allow federal employees to participate in conventions, and AFSCME will work to provide you these same rights.

SB 590 provides greater penalties for assault and battery on health care workers, including those employees working in state hospitals. As amended in the Senate Judiciary Committee these same increased penalties were added to protect child and adult protective service workers. SB 590 has passed the Senate and has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee. AFSCME will work with Delegate Carrie Webster, Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, to get SB 590 put on the agenda, through the House of Delegates and to the Governor for his signature.

SB 715: Under federal law, the children of state workers cannot participate in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). These children are typically covered by PEIA. However, while CHIP does provided dental coverage for children, PEIA does not. Throughout the session, AFSCME has worked to allow the PEIA Finance Board to add a dental benefit at least to all children. Delegates Brent Boggs and Don Perdue, both members of the House Finance Committee, are working to get an amendment adopted to SB 715 to allow the PEIA Finance Board to consider adopting a dental benefit for the children of state employees. Please call members of the House Finance Committee and ask for their support in correcting this injustice for the children of state employees.

Several other bills are being followed by AFSCME and will be in the final report posted here.