HARTFORD, CT — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Wednesday that he’s putting an end to the phrase “non-essential state employee.”
Malloy signed an executive order that puts an end to the term “essential” and “non-essential” to describe state workers. The executive order states that “the terms have become outdated, have negative connotations toward our workforce, and should reflect the nature of government operations in these circumstances.”
In the future, essential employees will be referred to as “Level 1” employees and non-essential employees will be referred to as “Level 2” employees.
The new terms will got into effect immediately.
AFL-CIO President Lori Pelletier praised the decision.
“Our state employees are anything but ‘nonessential’,” she said. “Continuing to use this term to describe our state workers only serves to feed negative stereotypes and demean their important work.”
