Members Ratify Contract by Overwhelming Majority
January 25, 2010
Ballots in the contract ratification vote were counted at NAGE headquarters today, with members voting overwhelmingly to approve the new agreement. The final tally came in with 85 percent voting in favor of the three-year contract.
"I'm not surprised by the lopsided vote in favor of this contract," said Local 292 President John Mann. "This is a reasonable agreement in the face of some very tough fiscal times for our state. Everyone—from the private sector to public employees—is taking a hit in this recession, but we were still able to secure a 7% increase over the original three-year term of the contract."
Local 207 President Theresa McGoldrick agreed. "There's not a lot of good news coming from the governor's office these days and most of the negative talk is about the state's dire financial position. I think that most members, given the reality of the situation, saw this contract as a best-case result in a tough and uncertain scenario."
In addition to the 7% increase, the contract also stipulates that members will be reimbursed for increases in co-pays and deductibles that occur in FY10 and FY11.
Local 282 President Greg Sorozan says the reimbursement program was hard-fought for in negotiations and was worth the extra struggles. "I know that members are worried about the rising cost of health care and uncertainties surrounding health insurance at the state and national levels," he said. "With this contract, our members can have some peace of mind knowing that their health insurance costs will remain relatively stable over the next couple of years."
At this time, the state has not solidified the details of the reimbursement program, so NAGE is encouraging members to keep receipts for any health-care expenses they incur beginning February 1.
"The health care reimbursements and the raises convinced most of my members to vote yes on the contract," said Local 291 President Jack Donegan. "Is it the best contract we've ever gotten? No, it's not. But it's a very good contract given the circumstances of the state."
With the ratification of the contract, the agreement will now go to the state legislature for funding. NAGE lobbyists have been up at Beacon Hill every day to keep this contract in legislators' sights, and we have no reason to believe that it won't get funded. We will provide updates as they become available.