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Main Rhode Island union rejects deal with governor; 1,000 layoffs loom
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NORTH PROVIDENCE - The heads of Rhode Island’s largest state employees’ union rejected yesterday a deal struck with Governor Donald Carcieri’s administration to avoid a shutdown of state government or 1,000 layoffs, prompting the governor to say he would go ahead with the firings, although probably on a smaller scale.
Joe Peckham - acting executive director of Council 94, which represents 4,000 state workers - said the union’s roughly two dozen presidents rejected the deal by a wide margin, even though negotiators had recommended that they approve it.
Carcieri said several other unions had agreed to the tentative deal. Those that did not would be subject to layoffs, he said, because the state is facing a $68 million budget gap.
Carcieri said last month that he would shut down state government as one step to help close the deficit for the fiscal year ending in June.
He planned to order 80 percent of the state’s 13,500-strong work force to stay home without pay for 12 days before July. But a judge put that plan on hold earlier this month, after the union took the state to court. After that, Carcieri said he would have no choice but to lay off workers.
He did not specify yesterday how many workers he planned to lay off, but said he assumed it would be fewer than 1,000.
New York, NY |
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