SUUVA / CWA » Articles » State workers satisfied with jobs-The Richmond Times Dispatch, July 16, 2008

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State workers satisfied with jobs-The Richmond Times Dispatch, July 16, 2008

Posted: Wednesday July 16, 2008

By JEFF E. SCHAPIRO
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

State employees generally like their jobs, find their work interesting and are committed to their agencies.

But working for Virginia is not all sweetness and light, according to a survey by the General Assembly’s investigative arm.

As part of a two-year study of employee compensation due in October, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission gauged worker attitudes.

The bipartisan panel was briefed on the survey Monday.

More than 70 percent of those participating in the online survey expressed satisfaction with their jobs. Nearly 80 percent described their work as interesting.

And nearly 70 percent expressed a strong sense of commitment to the agency for which they work.

Between January and April, JLARC solicited about 58,000 employees, of whom nearly 22,000 — or 37 percent — responded.

The Virginia government payroll, including college faculty and state-paid local employees, exceeds 100,000.

The state currently spends more than $5 billion a year on employee salaries and benefits, including health insurance and pensions.

Between 60 percent and 70 percent of employees believe that more should be done to improve salaries and opportunities for promotion.

The typical state worker’s compensation — wages and benefits — is about $42,000. Workers will receive a 2 percent raise in November and another in November 2009.

JLARC, working with two national accounting and compensation consultancies, is examining salaries, insurance and retirement benefits.

The commission’s recommendations will be turned over to the 2009 General Assembly and could drive salaries and benefits in the next spending cycle, beginning July 1, 2009.

Among the changes in compensation that could be advanced by JLARC: adjustments in the salaries of certain categories of employees, in part, in response to private-sector competition.

Also, there might be a shift in how pensions are paid — away from a fixed amount determined by investment decisions made by the state to accounts managed by employees.

Meantime, JLARC reported that the $56 billion Virginia Retirement System has shrunk, from July 2007 to March, by just under 4 percent because of market volatility.

The commission is the principal oversight agency for VRS, which provides pensions for state as well as local retirees.
Contact Jeff E. Schapiro at (804) 649-6814 or jschapiro@timesdispatch.com