NAGE and Commonwealth Reach Agreement on Three-Year Contract
January 30, 2009
After many months of negotiations, your bargaining team announces that NAGE Units 1, 3 , and 6 and the Commonwealth have reached a tentative agreement on a three-year contract (July 1, 2009-June 30, 2012). Although the contract’s effective date is July 1, 2009, the team was able to negotiate an agreement to make much of the non-wage language effective March 2, 2009, subject to ratification of the contract.
The bargaining team voted unanimously to accept the contract and urges the membership to ratify it. We will be mailing you information about voting procedures in the coming days. Ballot packages for voting will be mailed on or about February 10th.
As all negotiations can be, this process has been very trying. The state and the nation at large are in dismal financial shape, with layoffs, cutbacks, and wage freezes dominating the news. At times in our negotiations, it seemed to many bargaining team members that year after year of zero percent increases could be a possibility.
With the steady beat of bad news in the background, we were, however, able to negotiate a very solid contract with wage increases in each of the three years: 1% in July 2009, 3% in July 2010, and 3% in July 2011. The additional year (July 1, 2011-June 30, 2012), is a very positive outcome in these uncretain times and took some creative maneuvering and rigorous negotiations on the part of your bargaining team.
As part of the agreement to start the contract July 1, 2009, we’re foregoing a general pay increase for this fiscal year (step increases, however, will be in effect). Although we always hope for more, we think that the wage-increase proposal is an offer that we should accept.
The 1% for July 2009 reflects the very poor state of the economy and the supposition that things won’t be getting better right away. Although we have a realistic outlook on our state’s financial situation, we were persistent and successful in our demand that the state agree to increase the FY10 1% if the state’s tax revenues are higher than anticipated. A full explanation of this “if, then” stipulation is included in the attached proposal.
In addition to negotiating wage increases, the team was also successful in improving FMLA language, obtaining increases in the employer’s contribution to the dental, optical, and dependent care benefits, improving bereavement leave language, and much more.
We encourage you to review the proposal attached in its entirety in preparation for the ratification vote. If you have any questions about the proposal please contact one of us or a member of your local executive board.
We again thank you for your input and patience during this negotiation process.