Wolf gives nonunion workers largest raise in recent history

HARRISBURG (AP) — Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf is giving state government managers and other nonunion workers the largest boost in pay they have received in decades and perhaps longer.

The raises were quietly revealed in an email to about 13,000 beneficiaries this week by the Wolf administration. The package will amount to more than 6 percent for many of them, though they also will see a slight bump in health care premiums.

With the average nonunion salary a shade below $70,000, the raises will cost about $58 million for a full year.

It will include a 2.75 percent across-the-board raise, plus a 2.25 percent longevity increase for the vast majority. Wolf's Office of Administration said there is also another average 1.4 percent increase to provide a management premium over rank-and-file pay. The premium shrank during a temporary post-recession pay freeze.

An Office of Administration spokesman could not immediately say when nonunion employees received a larger raise, but said raises under former governors Tom Corbett, Ed Rendell and Tom Ridge were almost certainly smaller.

Nonunion employees also will start paying a slightly larger health insurance premium, from 2 percent of salary now to 2.5 percent in 2018, and will see a new in-network deductible for certain medical services and higher medical and prescription co-pays.

EDITORS NOTE: With the non-union wages just below $70,000 and rising taxes why is the Governor giving such a wage increase? This will only lead to higher taxes for the PA Tax Payer to cover the 58 Million dollar increase in pay for non-union workers. If someone cannot live on $70,000 a year there is something wrong.