Council 94 to vote on contract
Published: September 28, 2009
PROVIDENCE—The largest state employees union in Rhode Island starts voting on a deal that could cut pay but avoid widespread layoffs.
The local unions that make up Council 94 are scheduled to vote this week on an agreement reached recently with Gov. Don Carcieri.
Council 94 President J. Michael Downey said the union will tally the votes on Oct. 6.
The two-year agreement is part of Carcieri’s plan to help close a $68 million budget shortfall. It would require workers to lose 12 days of pay and delay a scheduled 3 percent pay raise.
In return, Carcieri would promise not to lay off state workers to save money. He would also have the authority to reassign state workers to different jobs.
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Reader Reactions
One of the things that strikes me as odd is that the unions fail to accept the fact that they are contributors to the collapsing economic situation.
Is the State worker that’s going to loose $2000.00 a year looking at the thousand that may loose everything.
Have we stopped caring about our fellow man…fellow Americans. Can we insulate ourselves from this because we have and it’s our neighbors who have not. If this was the case 70 years ago we would be speaking German right now.
Make no mistake this economic situation is every bit as tangible as any war that needed to be met head on by every American.
So do we just sit…in our homes thankful it’s not us. Insulated some even titillated by the fact that me and mine are safe.
Well…let me say this ….we need our neighbors, this economy is everyone’s. If our neighbor isn’t buying something that your business either directly or indirectly provides than your day is coming.
Except this agreement. This sacrafice is not you having to storm the beach at Normandy. Live eat love your children and help your neighbor.
While they’re voting on the concessions, why don’t they ALSO vote on canning the nitwits and idiots that are running that union…..
what angers me is that the governor didn’t sit down and say, ok I would need to lay off 1000 people to close the gap in the budget. He simply pulled a number out of his behind to threaten the people of this state. I find this a ridiculous and shameful use of power.
I do not work for the state; however, it angers me to see people on here saying suck it up and deal with it. Because I’m sure those are the first people that are going to put their finger at DCYF and say why weren’t you there?? Well they weren’t there because their labor force is below manageable levels, on top of the 12 days they were forced to take off. 12 days in a year may not seem like many, but when they have 30-40 cases open, that’s a full 8-10 hours worth of visits lost.
I’d also like to know that if the layoffs do go through, will his niece also be losing her job? Just goes to show you how corrupt politics in RI really are
KDDS - I too work at DCYF and I am more than willing to may a pay cut so that fellow workers will keep their jobs. I have a baby on the way and I am terrified that my child is going to lose Healthcare. If I get laid off that means my wife and I will be collecting unemployment a mere $600 each and paying Cobra $2000 a month. Do the math.
So KDDS thanks alot for voting NO (sarcastic) and caring about other people. You are getting those days back in vacation and in pay later on. I don’t get you old timers, you are playing with our people’s lives.
The biggest employer in the state is the state…..funded by the taxpayer who can no longer to afford all the services the state chooses to offer. The government is going to get smaller one way or the other, cut services and you still lose employees. Why is there no blame for the General Assembly they are MIA…..I hope the voters in this state are fed up with the same old same old and vote these losers out of office.
kdds—you chose that job, a job that has to be done. Don’t cry now that the pay cuts are unfair—because everyone is subject to them. They’re unfair for everyone, not just you.
Dixon—I have to agree with your point of view. The state dealt you lemons, and you’re making lemonade. It’s YOU that shouldn’t have to go without—because you accepting your lot, are doing what you can AND AREN’T COMPLAINING ABOUT IT. I wish you the best.
My boy won’t be going to a University
as I hoped he would. I lost a great deal with my investments that I worked so hard for.
When I read the news I bitterly smiled and got a second job to make ends meet. My Son told me that he can get the same education out of a Community
College and I cried.
If you can keep you job,feed your family and live with the hope that we WILL OVERCOME THIS! That’s what I would do. There are people working for the state that are terrified. (The thousand that will loose there job) They have children homes and lives real lives. This is a matter of there survival. We need to all understand that economically we are in a holding pattern. And…we need to give or break.
There are people starving in the world.
Children dying no different than our own…...
and….I bought a pumkin today for Holloween.
“Because of the separation of powers law we passed a few years back, the Governor has no control over the employees under the Judiciary & Legislative branches, unless those employees are a member of the Unions that also fall under the Executive branch”
You mean the Separation of Powers Bill that was passed by We The People but the general assembly refuses to enact?
The real problem is we have elected politicians(Democrat and Republican!) that are not looking out for OUR best interests, only theirs. The blame is squarely on their shoulders. But of course they sit back and watch while the Gov is forced to handle the budget problems.
As I drive by Speaker Murphy’s house almost everday, it’s clear he isn’t worrying about paycuts, unpaid days off, and losing health benefits(free, courtesy of the taxpayers). I see he has a new Mercedes SUV in the driveway, and a recent addition to his house. Is he a real stand up guy and knows what the average family is going through? Didn’t think so.
People, we need to see the bigger picture here. With the same losers “representing” us, we are doomed to repeat this again and again. Elections are coming up next year so get out and vote! We need reform and new faces in the State House. No more status quo.
Ok, I’m getting down from my soapbox now.
I work for DCYF. I took an exam to get a social caseworker job almost 10 years ago. In the past 10 years I have had two pension cut backs and a $7 a week raise in 4 years. If anyone wants to come work with me you can just have a 4 year degree and take the exam. You need the stomache to take children from their homes and comfort them when they haven’t been comforted in no one knows how long. Drive children to and from foster homes crying as mommy & daddy didn’t show up for their visit they have looked forward to all week. I take my job home with me every night. Every park I go to with my own children I scan the crowd for sex perps. I love my job, and I can deal with all of this…what I can’t deal with is the state employee haters out there who think I should get paid $15 an hour for the job I do, and the Governor who tries to turn the public against us.
Oh, I suppose that workers that have been given the option of taking a pay cut of twenty percent and have their share of their medical insurance payment increased to half are being treated fairly? It was either do that or be laid off for some private sector workers. Granted, that isn’t everybody—but there are many. many companies out there who haven’t even done that, they’ve either laid off workers ofr closed their doors.
Be thankful you still have a job, because I can tell you one thing—if a governor gets into office that has any kind of a head about state jobs, half of you would be gone!
The amount the state workers are being asked to give up is miniscule when compared to that. As someone else said, get your facts straight before you speak out.
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