RI, unions officially end court fight over government shutdown
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By Katherine Gregg PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The state of Rhode Island and its major employee unions have officially ended their court fight over Governor Carcieri's aborted plan to shut state government down for 12 days between now and June 30 to help avert a mushrooming deficit. Technically speaking, the two sides filed "stipulations'' in which the unions agreed to withdraw their bids for a court-ordered injunction to stop the Carcieri administration from plowing ahead with the shutdown days, which they likened to an illegal lockout. The stipulations filed in court moments before the clerk's office shut down note that "the parties have reached an amicable settlement and the withdrawal of the petition will allow an agreed upon consent decree to be entered in the Superior Court.'' The consent decree -- hailed by the employee unions as a promise of "labor peace'' for the next two years -- has not yet been filed. Carcieri spokeswoman Amy Kempe said it cannot be filed until the judge presiding over the case, Michael Silverstein, returns to work from vacation next week. In recent weeks, the administration reached pay-concession agreements with all of the major unions that obviated the need for the shutdown days. The agreements are aimed at saving the state at least $36 million over the course of two budget years. The agreements require eight workdays without pay this year, and four next year. They also delay a promised 3-percent pay raise in July 2010 by six months. But the workers get to recoup a portion of the lost pay in cash if they wait until they leave state government, or they can take as many as 15 extra paid days off. And their next pay raise or longevity bump will be based on their pre-reduction salary. They also won a promise of "no layoffs, shutdown days, furlough days or additional pay reductions through June 30, 2011.'' In exchange, the state won additional flexibility to move people from job to job, and agency to agency, as reorganization plans unfold in the remaining 15 months of the Carcieri administration, and beyond. Variations on the stipulation were filed by lawyers for the state and Council 94, American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, which is the largest state employees union with more than 4,000 members; the Rhode Island Brotherhood of Correctional Officers; the Rhode Island Laborers' District Council; the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (Local 400); the Rhode Island Alliance of Social Service Employees (Local 580); the National Association of Government Employees (Local 79); the Rhode Island Probation and Parole Association; the affiliate of the National Education Association of Rhode Island that represents the Department of Health Professional Staff Association; the Rhode Island Employment Security Alliance (Local 401) and the State Employed Physicians Association. There were no surprises in the filings, though they represent the first of two court-filed documents that will severely limit what the governor and lawmakers can do to cut state spending and avoid a mushrooming deficit. In an interview on Wednesday, John Simmons, executive director of the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council, raised concern that the hands-off promise to state employees will not leave "sufficient enough flexibility to meet the additional challenges that seem to be coming.'' But he said he believes Carcieri will cut the workforce nonetheless by attrition, which means leaving jobs open as they become vacant, and then using his newly won flexibility to move people in a reduced-size government. 
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Rhode Island needs new leadership all the way around, Governor, Senators, and Representatives. We need a movement to the middle forget the left and right, maybe we need more independents who speak the peoples language , and takes the peoples voice to Washington and the statehouse. Join me in bringing back politicians who listen to the people and don’t just follow party line. We need people in Washington who are there for the people and speak on behalf of the people and don’t tell the people what they want. Stop letting to the party tell our politicians how to vote, they should be voting the wishes of their constitutes. We need more Americans in politics and less career politicians. If no one else steps forward , I may have to do so myself
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It nice to see that the union made the correct decision for a change, to keep all their members employed. Most unions are run by old timers that have 25 plus years in the system and believe its a right of passage for the newer members of their union to suck it up and take lay-offs as they know their protected based on their seniority.
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There was a question earlier about whether AFT unions are part of the Council 94 deal. All public employee unions do not bargain with the governor. For example, Rhode Island College faculty and staff unions (of which I am a proud member) bargain with the Board of Governors for Higher Education. The Board made it clear early on that they would not shut down because they owe it to students and parents to stay open, particularly as tuition rises because of lack of state support. The Board has weathered budget cuts equivalent to proposed savings from furlough days and has dealt with it by leaving positions open. So we pay one way or another. By the way, we union members believe all workers deserve decent pay and benefits and the right to retire with enough to get by. We should all work toward that end instead of bashing and bad mouthing each other.
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