I advocate for state & front-line workers who do so much

To The Daily Sun,

American history demonstrated working people have been subject to the whims of the businesses they served. The pay was low, working conditions terrible, injury and sickness ran unabated. As corporations and governments grew, conditions worsened.

Many safety measures, pensions, health insurance programs and other benefits were arranged by unions over time. As the name "union" implies, it is a collective unity of working people getting together to ensure their overall health, safety, welfare, and pursuit of happiness. Without the collective efforts of these unions, many employees would still be working in dire circumstances as presented above.

SEA, and other organizations covering firefighters/EMS personnel, law enforcement, and other employee organizations are protected by agreements made in the past. It is the contention of this writer, for the past 10 years or so, SEA members have not had a significant pay raise matching the rising costs of daily living, health care, and pension cost of living. Some say, "Oh they got a big pay raise." This writer disagrees. Fact: for each pay raise state workers gained, they had to cover increased costs of their health care programs; negating the net increase in pay. Multiple instances occurred where supervisory staff were abusive to state employees to the point employees had difficulty managing the workload they were given; or dismissed by some "unknown cause". This is critical given N.H. is a "discharge at will state."

Retirees in the pension system now are forced to pay for their health care. This cuts into their own take home incomes.

New contract negotiations must provide a significant increase of salary, and the corresponding health care costs to be absorbed by the state. This is supported by the recent "Fact Finder's Report" stipulating these hard working employees do deserve a significant raise.

There was a time when many government functions were managed by volunteers. Today, for the most part, volunteers in multiple settings (law enforcement, fire/EMS, highway people, and many more) have ended. People have expenses to pay, families to raise, homes to live in, as well as enjoy the pursuits of happiness. Most can no longer volunteer due to their own personal circumstances.

The Philadelphia Inquirer stated that given today's pandemic, the need for unions has increased. Many employees are front-line workers, such as nurses, law enforcement, firefighters, and EMS personnel, highway workers, Store employees, and more. Protections mean survival, and our good health.

I advocate for the well-being of state workers and front-line workers, who do so much for us. It means we work together to ensure our communities, environment, and towns are healthy, safe, and secure. Without these essential employees, N.H.'s citizens would have a most difficult time enduring the challenges we face today. Thank you to all front-line employees for all you do.

Bob Joseph, Jr.,

New Hampton