Despite numerous negotiation sessions with the State, the State’s position on wage freezes and severe language changes appears non-negotiable. The State's positions are unacceptable to the A&R Negotiations Team and after nearly a year of negotiations, the State has not made any meaningful concessions from its egregious positions.
The A&R Negotiations Team took an informal vote that we should declare impasse and file for binding arbitration. The Negotiations Team is set to meet Wednesday, November 9th, at 5:30pm. At that meeting, the committee will take a formal vote regarding impasse. The unanimous sentiment previously expressed by all committee members is that the State’s financial offer (which amounts to a pay cut) is unacceptable. That, coupled with the State's desire to eliminate popular benefits such as AWS and to make other drastic language changes, leaves little doubt regarding the outcome of the pending vote on Wednesday night. All active members are invited to attend Wednesday’s meeting.