text: Merit and longevity steps are built into all the labor agreements except the teachers and LTC, which have their own step systems, and the three maritime units, which don't have steps.   The only way to NOT pay the steps to the unionized employees is to bargain them out or bargain to impasse and impose a pay scheme that doesn't include step pay - and win the strike with at least some of them.   This union-owned administration isn't going to do that.   The Leg can end steps for non-represented employees with a simple majority and the governor's signature, and he might even sign it because they're non-union.   Longevity steps are a Pipeline Era plan supposedly to aid retention of high-seniority employees.   It probably wasn't necessary then and now just rewards employees with a nice raise every two years for continuing to consume oxygen.