The State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) has taken to social media (see below) condemning Gov. Ned Lamont over housing, energy prices, government spending and state agency staffing issues.
Forgetting that Gov. Lamont negotiated a nearly $2 billion deal in 2022 that included $3,500 in bonuses and raises for SEBAC (comprised of 15 public sector employee unions which amount to nearly 46,000 members), the group has, nevertheless, called his approach to the state’s housing shortage as an “embarrassment”, while criticizing him as an out-of-touch millionaire unsympathetic to rising heating fuel costs.
The public lambasting went so far as SEBAC spokeswoman Drew Stoner arguing that, “Instead of working to address the staffing crisis and passing a moral budget, Governor Lamont would rather use state service vacancies to ‘balance’ the budget at the expense of Connecticut residents that rely on public services.”
Ms. Stoner accused Gov. Lamont’s budget proposal as harmful to working families stating that, “This budgetary tactic is not meant to be used in a time of budget surplus and is just one of the many ways the proposed budget harms working families and fails to meet the needs of today.”
This is a far cry from SEBAC’s March 9 statement, saying the governor was “fair and honorable” while negotiating the group’s raise and bonus agreement. However, the agreement did not include wage increases during the deal’s final year (July 2024-June 2025) — meaning the two sides will re-negotiate during the 2024 legislative session.
After the public lashing out, SEBAC might not be setting the best stage with the once “fair and honorable” governor.
