A first step in cutting state employee pay and benefits: doubling what they pay for healthcare.

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For the past 5 years or so, it's been obvious that democrat kowtowing to their union masters was simply unsustainable. In short, we can't afford it.

Of course, we couldn't afford it 5 years ago, but now the left are stuck with a law that forces them to get an ultra-super majority... 2/3rds vote... for tax increases needed to repay the unions controlling their political futures.

So, they are FINALLY at least paying lip service to getting their spending under control.

As for me, I continue to call for both staffing and pay and benefit levels to be rolled back to the 2005 level to start with.

Our state government... government at EVERY level, must do more with much, much, less.

And "much, much" is a metaphor for the same level of sacrifice the private sector has sustained over these past several years, and will continue to sustain for the foreseeable future.

Unions pressed to give up more:

State officials reopen contract talks; health benefits one issue

By Kathie Durbin Columbian Staff
Reporter

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Washington’s state employee unions are on the hot seat this week as Gov. Chris Gregoire searches for ways to keep the state from going off a budgetary cliff.

State negotiators reopened contract negotiations with some of their unions Tuesday and will resume talks with others today. Among issues on the table is the state’s proposal that state workers pick up a larger share of their health insurance benefits.

Under terms of their current contracts, most state employees pay 12 percent of their health care premiums; the state pays the remaining 88 percent. In August, Gregoire asked unions to increase their contribution to 26 percent over the next two years, enough to cover inflation-driven increases in health benefit costs.

Unions rebuffed the proposal. But now, in a deepening budget crisis, it’s back on the table.

That concession would be worth about $500 million to the state in the 2011-13 budget cycle.

Of course, "unions rebuffed the proposal" doesn't quite do it justice... since their "rebuff" included suing Gregoire for having the temerity to suggest that unions should be above hard economic times... but then, they don't call the rag the democratian for nothing.
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