OUR APPROACH TO NEGOTIATIONS
Wage freezes and pay cuts are not the same thing! It is our contention that no member should take a pay cut as a result of a contract extension agreement. At issue is the state's insistence that Top Step Payments are to be forfeited while we are negotiating the successor agreement. This means that those who received the Top Step Payment the prior year are taking a 2.5% pay cut. Plain and simple it is a pay cut. This is unjust and not acceptable. Whatever path contract negotiations take, recovering retroactive payment of the top step payment is and shall remain among our highest priories.
The amazing part is that the State has not come to an agreement with ANY of the unions. As of July 1st, 2016, near all of the unions, including A&R, were operating under an Extension Agreement. Extension Agreements are guided by state statute which maintains the status quo until a successor agreement is reached. Thus our position regarding pay cuts. Whether through mediation, arbitration, or via agreement, we are and will continue to seek retroactive payments of the Top Step back to July 1st, 2016 and we will continue to seek step increases as well. This process has been long, but we cannot accept the positions the state has taken. Further, we will not rush into a settlement which forgoes our short-term and long-term objectives.