State Employee Union Vote Results On Concessions Expected Today
http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-union-concessions-results-0508,0,3256430.story
By CHRISTOPER KEATING
The Hartford Courant
May 8, 2009
The results of a state employee union vote on $637 million in concessions over the next two fiscal years are expected to be announced later today.
The deal was negotiated between Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell and SEABAC, a coalition of state employee unions. Matt O’Connor, a spokesman for SEBAC, said that while not everyone was happy with the givebacks, support for the agreement increased after the details and conditions are explained by union leaders.
“There’s been frustration. There’s been anger. There’s been disappointment,” O’Connor said, referring to the initial reactions to the deal. “They support the agreement because it’s fair. Are they happy about it? No. … Avoiding layoffs in this economy is worth it.”
At a time when numerous businesses are closing, thousands of workers are being laid off and some private-sector employees are taking steep pay cuts while facing rising healthcare costs, some people believe that the one-year pay freeze is not a major sacrifice.
But Rell said that she got the best deal possible – under the circumstances.
“In any negotiated settlement like this, both sides probably wish they could have gotten better or more,” said Rell, noting that the unions were not obligated to reopen their contract and agree to concessions. “But I am pleased with the results. … If others could do better, it would be nice, but I’m the one doing the negotiating.”
Still, some in the private sector say the state got far too little. Even with the concessions, they say, state employees will continue to enjoy have a package of benefits that exceeds what most private sector workers have, along with another perk enjoyed by few in corporate America: job security.
“We hear frustration,” said Joseph Brennan, senior vice president and chief lobbyist at the state Capitol for CBIA. “People feel the government hasn’t done enough to reduce its costs.”
And it’s not just the business community that’s critical.
Some state workers say privately that the deal burdens rank-and-file workers while doing nothing to address the number of managers or eliminate their perks. Others say it simply postpones the pain by deferring contributions to the state employee pension fund, an accounting trick that doesn’t change the fact that employees who are guaranteed a pension will still receive one. And, they say, the agreement is structured in a way that hurts younger employees more than veterans with higher salaries.
In break rooms, across cubicles and online, the debate continues.
“Under the present circumstances, though I should be safe, I will vote yes to protect the jobs of my newer co-workers,” a man identified as Paul wrote on a message board on the union’s website, www.inthistogetherct.org.
Copyright © 2009, The Hartford Courant
