The concession package that most state employees agreed to recently will save taxpayers $700 million while guaranteeing no layoffs over the next two years. It represented more than a good-faith compromise between labor and management.
The deal provides a sure sign that nearly all state-employee unions have grasped the seriousness of the state’s budget deficit and the country’s economic downturn, and are ready to be partners in developing ways to get Connecticut through this period of economic upheaval.
Union leaders were quick to point out the deal, reached with 29 of 31 bargaining units, was more than just a grab at job security. They noted that many of the workers who voted for the package would not have been in danger of being laid off or are not eligible for the job security measures.
The concession plan includes a two-year wage freeze; retirement incentives for employees leaving this summer; an increase in prescription drug co-payments and annual health care premiums; a requirement that employees take seven furlough days over the next two fiscal years; and the layoff protection deal through June 30, 2011.
That deal probably doesn’t sound too bad to Connecticut residents who have lost their jobs over the past few years or lost health insurance or can’t afford medication.
The hope is that going forward, state union leadership will continue to consider the plight of all of Connecticut’s residents when negotiating contracts for their membership.
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