Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey’s administration is considering offering buyouts of up to $20,000 for state employees as a cost-saving measure, according to union officials, two weeks after the administration decided not to mark down their estimate for state tax collections and implement immediate budget cuts.
Local 509 SEIU, which represents 8,600 employees that fall under the executive branch, most of whom are human service workers, sent a memo to its members on Friday saying that the administration “has presented all state worker unions, including Local 509, with a proposal to reduce the number of full time employees across the Commonwealth.” The new of potential buyouts was first reported in The Boston Herald.
“The Commonwealth has proposed $10,000 for a voluntary resignation and $20,000 for retirement. Our understanding is that when these positions become vacant, they would not be backfilled and would be eliminated,” the memo says…