PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island Council 94, the union representing about one third of active Rhode Island state employees, has brought an unfair labor practices complaint against the State of Rhode Island.
In a complaint filed yesterday with the R.I. State Labor Relations Board, the union charges that “the state – acting by and through its governor, Donald L. Carceiri – has, on or about July 25, 2008, refused to engage in collective bargaining with Rhode Island Council 94,” and thereby has violated state law.
As evidence, the union includes a copy of Carcieri’s Friday-morning press release, in which the governor said “there will be no resumption of negotiations with Council 94.” (READ MORE) His statement followed a vote by the union membership the day before, in which the state’s contract offer was rejected by 94 percent of those casting ballots. The proposed agreement – the product of half a year’s negotiations – included “harsh economic hits” that workers saw as outweighing any “positive aspects,” Council 94 President J. Michael Downey said at the time. (READ MORE)
“On Friday, July 25th, two letters were sent to the Carcieri administration,” Joseph R. Peckham, Council 94’s deputy executive director and its signatory to the unfair-practices filing, said in a statement last night. “The first letter requested negotiations.
“In response to Governor Carcieri’s statements that no negotiations would be conducted with Council 94, a second letter was sent which requested a clear statement of intent from the administration.
“Since Council 94 has not received a response, we have filed an unfair labor-practice charge with the R.I. State Labor Relations Board. While Council 94 did not want to take this measure, refusal to negotiate is a violation of Rhode Island General Law.”
In its unfair-practices filing, Council 94 calls on the labor board to remedy the situation by ordering the governor “to engage in good-faith negotiations, as required by … the General Laws of Rhode Island.”
The tentative settlement rejected by union members on Thursday “was a result of informal discussions … to help identify savings during difficult budgetary times,” Peckham added. “We are still hopeful that the Carcieri administration will come to the negotiating table and work to forge a new settlement that is fair to Rhode Island’s taxpayers and state employees.”
A spokeswoman for the governor’s office told Providence Business News this morning that the office had “no comment at the moment.”
Rhode Island Council 94 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO– based in North Providence – is the state’s largest public-employee union, with about 4,100 members or a third of active state employees. Additional information is available at www.RICouncil94.org. News and information from the R.I. Governor’s Office are available at www.governor.ri.gov.
The R.I. Labor Relations Board, part of the R.I. Department of Labor and Training, oversees collective bargaining elections and resolves charges of unfair labor practices. Additional information is available at www.dlt.ri.gov/lrb.
