GOP budget plan could cut faculty salaries

What Sen. Bishop may not realize is that most MSU employees are working under union contract. Each union at MSU would have to approve the changes to the contract in order to take effect.

Our “leaders” need to look in the mirror first. How about cutting the LIFETIME HEALTHCARE BENEFITS of state legislators that have served only SIX YEARS???????

State Legislators could set the moral tone here by agreeing to their own salary/benefit cuts, or better yet, changing their postions from full-time to part-time — something that would have substantial economic benefits and enormous symbolic benefits.

It won’t happen, of course. That kind of honor and self-sacrifice is something we’ll never see from an American politician — of either party, at any level — ever again.

In principle, cutting state workers pay by 5% would be fine IF everyone is happy with services being cut by 5% also. Thus, we should expect 5% less of an education, 5% worse roads, 5% less effective fire-fighters, etc.

The anti-liberty liberal propaganda machine is greased and oiled I see. The Board of Trustees (6 democrats, 2 republicans) and the unions are the only ones with the absolute power to lower faculty salaries. All the legislature can do is make approprations with what little money this state has.

Just so everyone knows, at least 30% of MSU is international students now, so who exactly are we appropriating this money for? It’s not Michiganders for much longer, that’s for sure.

Cutting salaries 5% equals a %5 increase in taxes, which Senate Republicans don’t support…

MSU workers aren’t technically considered state workers…

MSU employees are not state employees despite getting some
funding from the state.

Out of state students, including international, pay WAY more tuition than any in-state students. Even a racist like you should greet them with open arms.

This is wrong, misguided, and unfair. Unbenownst to most, MSU employees have been making wage concessions and agreed to pay more of their health care costs for the last 8 years. Given the annual rates of inflation, in essence, the employees here have not had a raise in almost ten years. We have been sacrificing as everyone has. You can’t just look at wages you have to look at buying power against the rising cost of everything. Once again let’s balance the budget on someone else’s back. I agree with the above poster.We need a part time legislature because they do part time work. Serving as an elected official was meant to be temporary service, not a career and it was never meant for elected officials to get lifetime retirements and cadillac health care for life at the public’s expense. All retirements and “retirement” health care for legislators should be eliminated immediately. And term limits are a joke as they are currently structured. You can serve two terms in the hose, then run and get a senate seat. Diane Byrum is a perfect example. I’m guessing you can probably run for the house seat again afterwards and just go back and forth through the loophole. Wake up People of Michigan. All incumbants need to go. And Mr. Bishop, who might run for Attorney General, should think seriously about his chances before committing political suicide.

Michigan State University isn’t the same entity as State of Michigan, folks.

Two things —- a fairly small increase in taxes on the people in Michigan who are doing ok would close the budget shortfall. The Republicans don’t want to raise taxes because their big donors are RICH! Raising the income tax on the richest 1/4 isn’t going to hurt the unemployed and people not making it in this economy. Look around, plenty of people in Michigan can afford nice new cars and other luxuries, while we let the state crumble.

Point two —- as an MSU employee, I got to say, yes average wage increases have been right about the inflation level, but employees who have moved up in job rank or have had decent performance reviews have made pay gains in the last several years. Also, MSU has been giving decent average faculty pay increases. If you freeze or even cut faculty and staff pay, I don’t think you’ll see many additional people leave. However, good faculty are fairly mobile —- they can find jobs elsewhere (and take their grants with them). If you let the University itself deteriorate good people will leave.

A few things.

1. This WOULD impact university employees. Generally, Michigan’s universities, are granted autonomy by the state constitution. However, what Senate Republicans are actually proposing is a constitutional amendment that would reduce the salaries of all public employees in the state by 5 percent. The State News doesn’t really explain this. Such an amendment would have to be placed on the ballot in November.

2. Lawmakers salaries are currently set by the State Officer Compensation Committee. Last year they voted to recommend a 10 percent reduction for future lawmakers, and SOCC approved that. In addition the 5 percent cut being proposed as a constitutional amendment would apply to lawmakers as well.

1. MSU employees are ‘state employees’ in the same way public school employees are ‘state employees’. The taxes collected by the state treasury and distributed by the legislature are the lion’s share of the salary budget. Know where your money is coming from.
2- The legislature does have the power to unilaterally reduce the salaries of ‘state employees’, including themselves. They can do this without contract ratifications, as the new constitutional provision they enact would supercede the contract language specifying wages.
3 – it is unlikely this will come to pass, as it is a minority (Republican) led effort.

Can you imagine if this went through? Chances are all unionized public employees would strike and the state would come to a grinding halt.

THEY NEED TO CUT THE CHICANO/LATINO STUDIES PROGRAM. AND WHILE THEY ARE AT IT THEY SHOULD CUT JSRI!

THE REAL CHICANOS STUDIES PROGRAM!