State Senate proposes state workers pay raises

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- State employees will get a two-step pay raise totaling 8% next year under a proposal announced Tuesday by Senate Democratic leaders.<br><br>Sen. Mike Morgan, D-Stillwater, Senate

Tuesday, March 9th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- State employees will get a two-step pay raise totaling 8% next year under a proposal announced Tuesday by Senate Democratic leaders.

Sen. Mike Morgan, D-Stillwater, Senate appropriations chairman, said workers would get a 5 percent raise effective Jan. 1, 2005 and a 3 percent raise effective July 1, 2005.

State employee have not received a raise since 2000.

The average state worker makes $33,076 a year and will see an average increase of $1,654 next January and an increase of $1,042 on July 1, 2005.

The first phase of the plan will cost $24.6 million and the second phase will cost $78.8 million.

Morgan said the raises are long overdue for state workers, who have had to deal with providing needed state services during trying financial times.

Funding for the first phase will be included in the Senate version of the general appropriations bill, which was passed last month by the House.

As rewritten in the Senate, the measure also includes $3.1 million in funding for a raise for Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers.