(Updated, 4:05 p.m.)
PROVIDENCE – Gov. Donald L. Carcieri and several state employee unions said in a court filing this afternoon they have reached a tentative agreement that would avoid a shutdown of state government and the layoff of 1,000 workers.
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In the filing, the unions and the Carcieri administration confirmed a “tentative agreement” and asked to be given until Oct. 2 to finalize the terms and seek ratification votes from state workers.
But J. Michael Downey, president of Council 94, American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, told Providence Business News that while the outlines of an agreement have been hammered out, it had not been put in writing until 4 p.m. today.
Downey said the verbal agreement would have state employees taking eight unpaid workdays this fiscal year, and another four next year. Workers would be compensated for half of those days upon retirement, plus some vacation time.
In addition, a 3 percent raise scheduled for July 1, 2010 would be delayed until the following January, Downey said.
The Carcieri administration, in return, agreed to no layoffs, shutdowns or furloughs through June 2011, according to Downey. Carcieri, who is barred by term limits from running for re-election, will leave office in January 2011.
“We wanted those guarantees,” he said. “We wanted job stability.”
Earlier this afternoon, Carcieri’s spokeswoman told PBN that she could not confirm the precise details of the proposed agreement because negotiations were still ongoing.
At the request of both sides, the R.I. Supreme Court has postponed ruling on the legality of the state shutdowns, a matter the justices discussed in a closed session this morning. A week ago, the court prevented Carcieri from imposing the first of 12 shutdown days that he ordered as part of his plan to close a $68 million budget shortfall.
