The following statement has been released by the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) in response to the Boston Consulting Group "report" released by the Administration today, March 31st:

"Unfortunately, we just received the report moments ago, but based upon its summary we wish we could say we are surprised by the results. In this historical moment, Connecticut’s elected leaders  should be focused on mitigating the impacts of the pandemic on all people living in the state. This includes expanding and strengthening services to support those in need and  reversing the direction of an economy where we’ve watched the gap between the rich and poor expand significantly since the start of the pandemic. 

"The core purpose of this report is the preservation of a broken status quo. State leaders’ focus should be on creating a system of true equal opportunity for all of Connecticut’s families, regardless of race or background. Instead, this report turns a blind eye to the rising demands for social and economic justice. At a time when the voices of frontline workers should be elevated and recognized as the assets they are, they were pushed aside and silenced. The possible loss of thousands of the state workforce’s most senior and experienced employees is frequently termed “an opportunity” in this report. That opens the door to more austerity and further deep cuts to services, instead of acknowledging the very real challenges facing the state.

"As the report issued by our colleagues Shahrzad Habibi, from In the Public Interest, and Yale University Professor, Jennifer Klein shows, we not only can do better, we must do better. We are confident we will see the General Assembly move forward to craft a budget that does not completely ignore the unique needs of our communities in light of this historical moment."