Leaders from the state employee unions amended union bylaws on Monday after a closed-door meeting and members could vote again on a concessions deal within a couple days.
Facing the possibility of 4,328 layoffs and retirements and the elimination of 1,599 vacant positions, union leaders are asking the Malloy administration to sit down as soon as possible to discuss a new mutual agreement for the 45,000 members to vote on, according to the Web site for the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition.
Most union members voted in favor of a concessions deal union leaders reached with Gov. Dannel Malloy, but it did not pass because of bylaws that required that 80 percent and 14 of 15 unions to approve a deal.
The new rules would require a majority of per capita votes cast and a majority of the SEBAC voting unions voting to conclude negotiations.
"It’s good news that the unions have changed their ratification process to one that respects the will of the majority," Malloy said in a written statement. "
The budget gap the governor is dealing with is $1.6 billion and Malloy's original deal included no layoffs, but layoff notices began to go out after the deal was rejected. Last week,
Malloy presented what is known as his "Plan B" budget, which included not only massive layoffs but cuts to programs that affect just about every resident of Connecticut.
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Proposals include closing the state's two ferries, Department of Motor Vehicles branches in Danbury, New Britain, Enfield, Old Saybrook and Putnam and restrooms at some of the state rest areas, as well as suspending athletic programs at regional vocational-technical high schools.
In the next few days, Deputy Office of Policy and Management Secretary, Mark Ojakian, will speak with SEBAC leaders to understand which issues in the agreement need to be clarified.
"Given the limited number of issues that have been identified as problematic, it shouldn’t take more than a couple of days to have a clarified agreement that’s ready to be voted on by all state employees," Malloy said in a statement.
Unions have until September to come up with a concessions package.
