Conn. Gov. Dan Malloy Speaks Out Against Longevity Payments

HARTFORD, CT (WCBS 880 / AP) - On Tuesday, many non-union Connecticut state workers will be paid bonuses - just because of how long they've been employed.

WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau On The Story

Unionized state workers agreed to a freeze on those longevity payments when they signed off on $1.6 billion in concessions to save their jobs and help balance the state budget.

St. Sen. John McKinney has been calling for the end to the payments.

The union workers have even filed a grievance with the State Office Of Labor Relations over the $7 million in longevity bonuses being given to non-union managers, saying it doesn't symbolize the shared sacrifice called for by Gov. Dan Malloy.

"This agreement we reached in good faith with the administration is supposed to be about shared sacrifice,'' said Larry Dorman, a spokesman for the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition. "The issue is rewarding a handful of political appointees and agency officials and managers. It's problematic.''

Now, Malloy is speaking out on the controversial bonuses, conceding that it's not the best system.

"I'm not defending longevity. I think the system needs to be changed. It is a little bit different for managers because that was the way people were sure that they were making more money than their subordinates," Malloy told WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau.

Malloy says we need to do away with this bonus system, but he adds it will take a change in state law to do it.

"It's the law. If you don't change the law, the law is the law and they didn't change it. Actually, those payments have already been earned by those individuals. Now, before the next payment gets made, I think we need to make significant changes," said Malloy.

The next payments are scheduled to be made in April.

What do you think about longevity payments? Sound off in the comments section below.