March 22, 2016 05:16 PM UTC

State employees talk hospital provider fee, salary stability on Lobby Day

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• by: Colorado WINS

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Colorado state workers met with their legislators on Monday, March 21, Colorado WINS Lobby Day, to talk about the state’s budget priorities including the hospital provider fee, Youth Corrections staffing and working conditions.

Workers from communities throughout Colorado were at the Capitol, including a contingent from Alamosa County who met with Senator Crowder. The state itself is Colorado’s largest employer, with just over 31,000 workers in the state classified system.

Nearly a dozen members from Chaffee and Fremont counties came to the Capitol to talk about the high cost of living and poor job opportunities in rural Colorado.

“We wanted to talk about how families can affordably live in Chaffee county and other rural communities in our state,” said Correctional Officer Brian Hines, from Buena Vista Correctional Facility. “The cost of living is basically the same in Buena Vista and in Denver. Guys want to bring their families down here, but they can’t afford it. We need to make sure that when health insurance goes up it doesn’t eat into our paychecks, because it seems that every time we get a pay raise the insurance goes up too, usually about the same amount.”

“Protecting public services through appropriate staffing, fair pay and salary stability continue to be a concern for state workers,” said Colorado WINS Executive Director Tim Markham. “And as long as TABOR continues to drag down the state budget, we have to find ways to work around it. This is why adjusting the hospital provider fee matters – it allows legislators to better address the states’ needs, including those of public workers.”