Projo Politics Blog

By Katherine Gregg
Journal State House Bureau

PROVIDENCE--- After giving it some thought, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch has decided to join his staff - and the state's other general officers - in going without pay for eight work days this year, and four next year.

The no-pay work days are a key feature of Governor Carcieri's $36 million cost-cutting plan that has won the endorsement of one state employees union after another, including the largest - Council 94, American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees - on Tuesday.

Asked in the wake of that vote if the attorney general and his staff would go along, spokesman Mike Healey said on Tuesday: "Yes. Although we are not a unionized workforce, we are participating in the pay-reduction plan.'' Asked if that meant Lynch too would take the pay cut, Healey said: "He's considering it. He hasn't decided yet.''

On Wednesday, Healey said Lynch, who has announced his intent to run for governor next year, had decided he "wasn't going to ask everyone else in the department to participate and then not do so himself.''

The cost-cutting proposal is a key piece of Carcieri's plan for producing the $67.8 million in unidentified personnel savings he was directed to come up with by the state budget that lawmakers crafted -- and he signed -- for the year that began on July 1, 2009.

It requires eight workdays without pay during this budget year, and four next year. It will also delay by six months the 3-percent raise the workers expected in July 2010.
But the workers can take as many as 15 extra paid days off in exchange, or eschew some of those paid days off and collect a portion of their lost wages -- up to five days worth -- in cash if they wait until they leave state service. They would also get a two-year no-layoff pledge.

Under the terms of the deal union leaders negotiated with the Carcieri administration, the state intends to use the pre-reduction hourly rate for each employee in calculating their next step increase, longevity increase and pay raise, according to the state personnel office.

 Tags  Carcieri Patrick Lynch union

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