Working through the COVID-19 pandemic pays off for Pa. government workers with bonuses

Most state employees who worked through the COVID-19 pandemic will reap their reward this month.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration is offering COVID-19 retention bonuses to about 45,000 union-represented employees under his jurisdiction who remained on the job and got paid from May 1, 2020, through June 3.

The bonus payments of $1,000 for full-time employees and $500 for part-timers could cost as much as $50 million.

All but one of the state employee unions have accepted the offer for these one-time pre-taxed payments, said Dan Egan, a spokesman for the governor’s Office of Administration. He said the administration anticipates the remaining union to agree to terms in short order.

The money comes from the $372 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds the legislature granted to the governor to use at his discretion for pandemic response.

Egan said the payments “are intended to retain commonwealth employees, including classifications of employees who performed life-sustaining duties during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Union officials for months have been pressuring the administration to offer some of type of recognition for the services their members performed to keep state government operating during the pandemic.

“AFSCME members have powered Pennsylvania through the most difficult of times, and while this pandemic payment that their union has negotiated is a start in rewarding and reimbursing them for their dedication to public service, we continue to push for more payments for all of our members throughout the commonwealth,” said David Henderson, executive director of AFSCME Council 13, the largest of the state government labor unions.

Steve Catanese, president of SEIU Local 668, didn’t respond on Thursday to a request for comment but a notice his union sent out to its members last month stated the bonus was in recognition for the “essential, quality work that our members have provided throughout the pandemic” that kept the commonwealth running.

“This payment is the result of consistent advocacy and negotiation throughout the pandemic,” the notice states. “We want to thank our sister unions in the commonwealth and Governor Wolf for their efforts in making this a reality.”

But one state lawmaker sounded off against using COVID-19 relief aid to reward the non-essential employees who work for the governor.

“They teleworked. They were all teleworking sitting at home. That was the bonus,” said Rep. Seth Grove, R-York County, who chairs the House State Government Committee. He said his and other legislative staffers had to pick up the slack for state employees who were no-shows in state offices.

“This is just more reckless spending by the governor,” Grove said.

Not included in the retention bonus giveaway are management and non-represented employees under the governor’s jurisdiction. House or Senate employees also didn’t receive them, according to caucus spokespeople.

According to House Appropriations Committee staff, the administration has about $170 million left to spend of the federal COVID-19 relief funds it was allotted to spend at its discretion for pandemic response.

That was the same pot of money the Wolf Administration used to pay for a separate incentive program offered to all 72,000-plus government employees under the governor’s jurisdiction to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

That benefit offered employees up to five days off or the equivalent in a lump-sum payment as an incentive to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by an extended deadline of Feb. 22.

Approximately 33,500 employees ended up receiving full or partial payments totaling approximately $36 million for unused leave time through that program, Egan said.

Grove considers that vaccine incentive program along with the retention bonuses examples of the governor’s mismanagement of the pandemic. He said that $86 million would have been better spent to help address staffing needs at nursing homes, hospitals, and ramping up COVID-19 testing and immunizations before last winter’s surge in cases.

“Why didn’t he spend it on that?” Grove said. “That is where the money is needed instead he’s just giving it back to his union campaign donors” who were among the biggest contributors to his re-election campaign in 2018.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.

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