April 4th, 2011
Hearing on Bill to Abolish Longevity Pay on Thursday, April 7
Contact Members of the Committee Now!
HB 3168 eliminates longevity pay for current employees and would result in significant reductions in pay for most state employees. HB 3168 is punitive to state employees and seeks to find another way to save money on the backs of the state’s most dedicated, knowledgeable and experienced employees.
Let the Committee Members know you oppose HB 3168 Now!
Rep. Bill Callegari (R-Houston) Contact Form,
Direct Email,
Phone: 512-463-0528
Rep. Eddie Lucio III (D-San Benito) Contact Form,
Direct Email,
Phone: 512-463-0606
Rep. Erwin Cain (R-Como) Contact Form,
Direct Email,
Phone: 512-463-0650
Rep. John Frullo (R-Lubbock) Contact Form,
Direct Email,
Phone: 512-463-0676
Rep. Linda Harper-Brown (R-Irving) Contact Form,
Direct Email
Phone: 512-463-0641
Rep. Sergio Munoz, Jr. (D-Mission) Contact Form,
Direct Email
Phone: 512-463-0704
Rep. Bill Zedler (R-Arlington) Contact Form,
Direct Email
Phone: 512-463-0374
Contact information is in the box on the right. We suggest you use the following language in your email or phone call:
“I am a State Employee and a member of TPEA. I am calling/writing to voice my opposition to HB 3168, a bill that will be heard in the Government Efficiency and Reform Committee this Thursday. I am opposed to the bill because it is punitive to state employees who already face huge increases in health care costs. HB 3168 is likely to create problems for the ERS retirement fund and will increase health care costs to the state. Thank you for listening to my opinion regarding a bill that will personally impact my family and me.”
Remember to be respectful and calm at all times when contacting legislative offices. It is just as effective to speak with a legislative aide as it is with the legislator.
Experienced and productive workers are an asset that Texas taxpayers have invested in and it is counterproductive to remove incentives to retain experienced employees. Many state agencies have experienced excessive employee turnover rates as the result of inadequate pay. HB 3168 would only exacerbate this problem:
- State employee pay is already 15 to 20 percent below what other Texas employers pay for comparable work, on average.
- In the early part of the last decade, overall state turnover increased to nearly 20 percent and some occupational categories experienced turnover approaching 50 percent annually.
Excessive turnover is an expensive problem for the state both in terms of the costs of finding, hiring and training large numbers of new employees and paying overtime. Turnover also robs the state of experience and productivity in the workforce, reducing the efficiency of the state agencies.
TPEA believes that elimination of longevity pay would trigger a huge exodus of retirement-eligible employees, which would impose significant actuarial costs on the ERS retirement fund and increase health care costs to the state. Elimination of longevity pay would encourage retirement eligible employees to hit the door running before it is enacted because of the significant reduction in annuity payments that would be caused by ending this payment.
The potential consequence of such an exodus is clear:
- There are around 18,000 state employees who are currently eligible to retire.
- Because the most experienced employees would see the largest pay reduction if longevity pay is abolished, it would cause many employees who wouldn’t otherwise choose to retire to do so.
- If just a quarter of retirement eligible employees chose to retire it would double the anticipated number of ERS retirements. This would create a significant actuarial burden on the ERS retirement fund, which needs to be restored to actuarial soundness.
- Even worse, it would increase health care costs to the state since ERS would continue to provide health coverage for the new retirees, and it would have to provide coverage for the new workers who replace the retirees.
There is no good public policy basis for eliminating longevity pay. Please contact the members of the House Committee on Government Efficiency and Reform listed in the box to the right, which is scheduled to hear the bill on Thursday, April 7. You may click on this link and select “Government Reform and Efficiency Committee” to view the hearing at 10:30 am or upon adjournment of the House this Thursday.
Remember to forward this email to friends and co-workers and ask that they contact the committee members too.
This Wednesday, TPEA will be asking all state employees to participate in an online survey concerning issues affecting you this session. We believe this survey will help TPEA communicate your position on important state employee issues during this session.
Please take a couple of minutes to complete this survey after your receive an email including the link this Wednesday.
If you are one of the recipients of our newsletter who is not a TPEA member or if you're unsure whether or not you are a member (click here to verify your membership status), consider joining today! TPEA now offers an online application form for payroll or annuity deduction, as well as payment by credit or debit card. At only $6 per month active and $2.50 per month for retirees, TPEA membership is one of the best investments you can make in the future of your pay and benefits as a state employee.
The Texas Public Employees Association is the oldest and largest state employee group. As a non-partisan, non-union association, TPEA is the leading advocate for ALL state employees and retirees before the Texas Legislature.