Rank and file union members who work for the state of Connecticut are open to listening to ideas when it comes to possible pension or benefit concessions.
The governor said Tuesday, for the second year in a row, that if the state's bargaining units that represent tens of thousands of state employees don't negotiate, then there will be a second year of steep layoffs.
“I think everybody understands that this is going to be a grand bargain," said Lori Pelletier, who is with the AFL-CIO.
She liked hearing from the governor that union concessions are meant to be part of the discussion and not the be-all, end-all for budget savings.
Pelletier said of the budget process, "It's a marathon, not a sprint."
Senate Budget Co-Chair Cathy Osten, (D-Sprague), said she doesn't see an alternative if the governor can't attain any level of savings through negotiations.
“I’m quite hopeful that they’re going to reach a concession plan and that is amenable to both the state and the workers, so that being said, it would really be a foregone conclusion that that would happen," Osten said.
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Charles Dellarocco leads a chapter of the AFL-CIO that represents police, public defenders and other court workers, and said younger members are open to some level of discussions, while those on the tail end of their careers are thinking differently.
“It’s a quagmire," Dellarocco said. "The people who are going to retire by 2022 don’t want to see any changes.
Dellarocco said the governor and lawmakers need to be careful about layoffs.
With a delicate state economy and struggling state budget, layoffs could have ripple effects.
“We live in this state, so whatever choices we make, it’s going to trickle to the municipalities. We live in those municipalities. So, their taxes get raised or we lose our other brothers and sisters out there also,” Dellarocco said.
