Pay Raises Suspended For Louisiana’s State Workers Next Year

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Tens of thousands of Louisiana state workers won't be getting pay raises next year.

The Civil Service Commission voted 4-1 Thursday to block annual "performance adjustments" for more than 38,000 government workers, called classified employees.

The pay raise suspension covers the budget year that begins July 1.

The commission's decision came in response to a request from Gov. John Bel Edwards.

Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne, the governor's chief financial adviser, says the state can't afford the pay hikes as it grapples with continuing budget problems.

He says the administration doesn't intend to give raises to the thousands of workers under its control, political appointees known as unclassified employees.

Civil Service Commission members said they didn't like suspending the raises and hoped they wouldn't receive a similar request next year.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.