Union business

Republican American reports on Connecticut state employees taking union time funded by taxpayers, and cites Trey Kovacs's report for the Yankee Institute. 

The Yankee report was prepared by Trey Kovacs, a labor policy analyst for the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a libertarian think tank based in Washington, D.C. Mr. Kovacs examined the prevalence of Connecticut state employees doing union business on state time. He noted "all Connecticut public employers grant union business leave as part of collective bargaining agreements." Citing data from Gov. Malloy's Office of Policy and Management (OPM), he concluded that in fiscal year 2014-15 — a period notorious for fiscal upheaval — state employees spent more than 121,000 hours on union business, costing the state $4.12 million.

Yankee noted this figure doesn't account for indirect costs. "Fringe benefits typically cost nearly half of payroll," it said in a news-media release. "For at least some of these positions, the state would need to pay a second person to do the necessary work while another employee is away on union business. Finally, employees can also use this time to increase their own overtime."

The situation is unacceptable. State employees are supposed to be paid by the state to work for taxpayers. As Yankee noted, union business done on state time, such as handling grievances and contracts, often runs contrary to the interests of taxpayers.

Read the full article at the Republican American