Contract News
From the Constitution State
Members of Connecticut Council 4 wouldn’t take no for an answer when the state legislature struck down the contract awarded to over 5,000 state COs by an arbitrator. The council ran a full-page newspaper advertisement, which proclaimed: "Governor and state senators: We might spend our days behind prison walls, but we’re not the ones who should be punished." And on May 14, thousands of union members and supporters came to the Capitol to protest the vote. The result? Round-the-clock negotiations led to a seven-year contract running through June 2001 that was overwhelmingly ratified by the membership. The contract protects the officers’ current 36¼-hour workweek, with a 5-day-on, 3-day-off schedule. Other highlights include: step increases each year from 1995 to 2000; 3 percent cost-of-living increases for each of the next four years; lump-sum payments ranging from $900 to $5,700 in lieu of back pay; and an $800 annual hazardous duty stipend for each member. The state legislature voted June 3 to approve the contract.
From the Badger State
The Wisconsin State Employees Union (WSEU)/AFSCME Council 24 bargained their new two-year contract with the state in record time — they had a tentative agreement three weeks before the old contract’s expiration date of June 30. High-lights of the contract include: a 3 percent increase in the value of the contract the first year, 3.5 percent the second; 26 additional hours of sick leave a year; an increase in shift and weekend differentials; and a process to deal with hostile work environments. "Our members deserve this good contract," says WSEU Pres. Gary Lonzo, who also chairs the ACU Advisory Board. And members clearly agree: They ratified it in July with 85 percent giving it a resounding "Yes!"
From the North Star State
Bargaining for Minnesota Council 6 culminated in a mediation session lasting 28 straight hours: from 10 a.m. July 2 to 2 p.m. July 3. After months of negotiations, it took this final push to bring home a contract Council 6 members could support. On Aug. 11, state employees — including 1,621 COs — ratified this two-year contract which included: a 3 percent raise each year; a $100 employer match for contributions to the retirement savings plan; a 5-cent increase in shift differential; and an increase in employer coverage of dependents to 75 percent.
From the Land of Lincoln
With time running out on the state’s legislative session, negotiations were down to the wire for Illinois Council 31 this May. The state pushed hard for settlement, but the union held firm on key demands, including increased pay for corrections workers. The three-year contract, ratified in mid-June, includes: a 3 percent raise each year; an average increase in pensions of 7 percent; a pay differential of $50 a month for corrections workers, effective the second year of the contract; and an additional $50-a-month pay differential for workers in maximum security facilities, who also have seven or more years continuous service with the department, effective the final year of the contract.
