Governor Malloy is making it clear that layoffs are pending and he is setting the narrative that the Unions don't want to help solve the budget issues.  This is comical as State employees have given hundreds of millions over the past 6 years.  We would like to think that the governor respects the sacrifices our members have already made in the agreement he negotiated in 2011 and that cuts and layoffs will only damage Connecticut’s economy.   

The truth is that the Unions have not had discussions with the Governor, nor have the Unions turned down a meeting with the Governor, nor are we likely to

UCPEA employees (University of Connecticut Professional Employees Association) voted overwhelmingly to have their contract renegotiated rather than re-submit their contract to the legislature.

UCPEA employees and UConn ratified a contract agreement and submitted it to the General Assembly in early February. 2016. The 5-year agreement called for moving from a 35hr workweek to a 40hr workweek as well as wage increases of 2%, 1%, 1%, 1%, and 1% .

This contract became a political tug-of-war in the General Assembly with various misconceptions and rumors that didn't properly represent the agreement. 

Each Commissioner has been tasked with submitting an agency budget with reductions that reflect the Governor's Budget proposals (basically an overall  reduction of 5.75% and the elimination of certain programs).   The Commissioners are expected to have their plans for achieving the 5.75% reduction finalized and submitted this week.

It is anticipated that the reduction plans submitted by the Commissioners will include layoffs at several agencies. Today, the Office of Labor Relations gave official notification to the Unions to expect layoffs in the near future. 

On Monday, Commissioner Semple

The State wants to require all employees to participate in direct deposit of paychecks in the future.  We are seeking input from the membership regarding this matter.  We recognize the benefits of direct deposit (the most significant benefit being the immediate availability of funds).  However, we want to know of members' concerns about direct deposit.

If you have concerns about mandatory direct deposit, or if you have reasons why mandatory direct deposit would be a hardship for you, please let us know by following this link. {unlinked, thank you for all of the responses]

The Governor's Office continues to be on a path of confusion with their self-created "fiscal cliff" and their "new economic reality".  The Governor held an Open Budget Forum in New Haven this week to push his budget agenda.  That meeting was well attended by A&R members as well as members from other State employee unions.  Members questioned the Governor about his budget plan which not only calls for reduced wages for State employees but also for reductions in the State workforce.  Other Unions are joining us at these events so stop in for a show of solidarity when the next event is scheduled

UPDATED  2/18/16
We can make a difference in our future over the next 10 weeks.  There are several activities where the presence of A&R employees (along with other State Employees) will impact our livelihoods.  In general, we need to engage our State Legislators and the Governor.  Each legislator is interested in "customer feedback" so we need to do just that...and that begins this week. 

• We have testified to the Legislature on the Governor's Budget
• We have attended the Governor's Budget Forum and had 3 A&R employees ask questions

The next events where we need to show our presence:

• Governor's