TOPEKA, Kan. - On Wednesday, state employees will be making their voices heard in Topeka. Below is a press release they sent out Tuesday.
More than 250 members of the Kansas Organization of State Employees (KOSE) will be marching on the State House to make our voices heard and to share our concerns with Legislators. In the midst of this current budget crisis we are more vigilant than ever to protect our jobs, paychecks, and pensions. As state employees, our jobs, wages, and retirement are directly linked to what happens at the State House.
We understand this crisis calls for shared sacrifice from all aspects of state government. However, we are not about to sacrifice our very livelihoods and the well being of our families to balance this budget. We know where the real waste in government is and if we were better protected from reprisal we would bring it out into the open. That is why we support the Whistleblower Protection Act. It's time to cut government waste, not jobs!
We know very well that Kansas is near the bottom for wages because we have to make ends meet every day. In 2007, research found that 1 in every 3 state employees were more than 25% below market. After several years without any raises, the Legislature made a promise to state workers to bring our salaries up to a comparable rate and they approved 5 years of market adjustments. We are going to ask our Legislators to keep their promises.
State employees and KOSE members have earned a decent retirement for the years we put into public service and we don't want to see our retirement gambled with 401(k)s. We also do not think it's fair for us to pay for the losses of KPERs. With our low wages, we cannot afford to pay up to 8% of our salaries to reform the system.
As state employees, we work across the state of Kansas in every county and every district. We are Social Workers, Psychologists, Mental Health Techs, Administrative Assistants, Correctional Officers, KDOT Workers, Janitors, and Investigators. Our jobs keep Kansas moving and now it's our time to be heard.
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