Pay increases recommended; Jindal won’t OK

• By MARSHA SHULER
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Oct 9, 2008 - Page: 14A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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The State Civil Service Commission on Wednesday recommended up to a 5 percent one-time salary bonus for all 59,700 rank-and-file Louisiana state employees.

But the Jindal administration has already  shot down the idea as too costly and the wrong approach.

Meanwhile, another commission recommendation for a permanent pay increase of up to 10 percent for nearly 4,800 workers got a thumbs up from a top administration official.

Both measures must get the approval of Gov. Bobby Jindal who would have to insert funding in the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

The administration cannot support the one-time bonus for all Civil Service employees because of the “many other demands” on state dollars including education, health care and transportation, Commissioner of Administration Angèle Davis wrote the employment agency’s chief.

Civil Service officials had recommended a one-time bonus of between 2 percent and 5 percent of employee pay. The minimum bonus would cost an estimated $48.1 million while the maximum would cost $120.4 million.

However, Davis said the administration will support a targeted pay increase to help state employees who are at the lower end of pay scales. She issued one caveat to that support: its cost must not exceed the $7.2 million projected.

 Earlier this year, the administration rejected another plan targeting the workers for higher pay.

 Davis did not respond to a request for an interview. Late Wednesday, her office issued a statement, reiterating points in her letter to Soileau, including a preference for “performance-based pay increases.”

She also said it is “important to note that in a time when our economic outlook is very uncertain as energy prices weaken and the credit crisis deepens, we are uncertain what our revenues will look like …”

The commission action came as it acted on proposals submitted by executives of the state’s employment agency.

Civil Service Director Anne Soileau said the commission made its recommendations now so officials will have the information as budget preparations begin for the 2009-10 fiscal year.

Soileau said the minimum salary rate in the Civil Service pay plan is an average 10 percent to 25 percent below those of comparable jobs in Louisiana’s general employment market.