Union fires back at Carcieri

NORTH PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island Council 94, the union representing about one third of active state employees in Rhode Island, called on Gov. Donald L. Carcieri today to provide “a definitive statement concerning your intentions to comply with the statutory obligation to bargain in good faith.”
The demand – in a letter the union said it delivered to the governor via fax, e-mail and personal messenger – came in response to Carceiri’s statement this morning that “there will be no resumption of negotiations with Council 94.”
The exchange follows a vote yesterday by members of the union – Rhode Island Council 94 of the of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO – in which the state’s contract offer was rejected by 93 percent of those who cast ballots. (READ MORE)
“My administration spent six months and hundreds of hours negotiating the terms of this agreement with representatives of Council 94. Those representatives agreed to the terms that were finally negotiated.
“There were numerous concessions from the state, including not going forward with the layoff of hundreds of employees and guaranteed wage increases of 8.5 percent over the four-year contract,” Carcieri said.
Details of the proposed agreement – which the governor previously has described as including “some unprecedented reforms for Rhode Island taxpayers” – had been withheld pending the results of yesterday’s union vote.
But the pact also included “harsh economic hits … especially harmful to our lowest-paid members,” Council 94 President J. Michael Downey said in a statement yesterday. “There simply were not enough positive aspects” to outweigh the concessions the workers were called upon to make, he said.
Dennis Grilli, executive director of Council 94, has said that yesterday’s decision followed “a thorough examination / discussion of the proposed settlement,” which had been explained to members via a PowerPoint presentation, information on the union Web site, and several in-person discussions.
The vote and the “vigorous debate” that preceded it made it clear that “Council 94’s membership strongly believes the proposed settlement would hurt their economic / job security and their families,” Downey said.
The governor drew a different conclusion. “The results of this vote can lead me to only one or two conclusions: Either the representatives of Council 94 who were part of this agreement have not been negotiating in good faith, or … there is an internal power struggle between the union heads within Council 94 that undercut the vote,” Carcieri said in his statement today. “In either case, there is no basis for further discussions.
“Two-thirds of the other state employee unions have ratified the agreement – including the United Nurses and Allied Professionals Local 5019, which voted to ratify the agreement last night. They do appreciate the severe financial pressure the state faces, and have chosen to be a part of the solution,” the governor said
“The state’s financial status is not improving,” he added. “In fact, there are signs that the national economic slow down, with high energy prices, may prolong the weak economy in Rhode Island.
“As governor, I am obligated by law to balance our state’s budget and will do so,” Carcieri said. “I am carefully reviewing our options with my legal and administrative staff. I intend to announce a course of action next week that will be in the best interest of our state and all its citizens.”
The union said this afternoon – in a letter penned by Joseph R. Peckham, Council 94’s deputy executive director – that it notified R.I. Director of Administration Jerome F. Williams today “of our desire to begin negotiations with the State of Rhode Island.”
The note included as an attachment a copy of the statement the governor released this morning.
Now, Peckham wrote, “Council 94 requires a definitive statement concerning your intentions to comply with the statutory obligation to bargain in good faith. If you do not respond by close of business Monday, July 28,” he added, “Council 94 will act under the assumption that your press release accurately reflects your intentions.”
Rhode Island Council 94 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, is the state’s largest public-employee union, with about 4,100 members or a third of active state employees. Additional information is available at www.RICouncil94.org. News and information from the R.I. Governor’s Office are available at www.governor.ri.gov.