Oct. 19, 2001 — More than 3,100 unionized government employees received long-awaited salary increases on Thursday.
The Legislature approved the step increases earlier this year after the Turnbull administration announced a projected $100 million windfall in revenues for fiscal year 2001. The increases in pay and retirement benefits were mandated in the $100 million supplemental appropriations bill that Gov. Charles Turnbull signed into law June 21.
Turnbull said 13 bargaining units, whose contracts were negotiated during previous administrations, received salary step increases.
Calling the raises "long overdue," Turnbull said in a statement Thursday, "This is a proud day for my administration. When we took office in 1999, we said that doing the right thing and making the necessary sacrifices would allow us to improve the government’s finances and meet our obligations to our long-suffering employees.
"Today represents another step in meeting that commitment."
Meanwhile, more than 1,200 eligible government retirees will receive their mandated increases by Nov. 30, according to Joanne Barry, the government’s personnel director.
Barry said her division is also working to implement salary adjustments to ensure that all government employees receive the minimum salary of $15,000 a year, which was recently established by the Senate. The adjustments, she said, will be made by the end of October.
