RI’s second-largest employees union rejects contract proposal

May 20--PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The second-largest state employees union, Local 580, Service Employees International Union, on Monday rejected a proposed four-year contract that would have given them pay raises of 6 percent over 18 months.

Union members rejected the contract by a 91-64 vote, according to the union's Website.

Earlier this month, the largest employees union, Council 94, American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, approved the contract. Their vote was 1,514 to 759.

House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello has criticized the proposed contract, saying it offered pay raises that weren't budgeted.

"It is disappointing this commitment by the Chafee administration was made without identifying a way to pay for it," Mattiello said.

The Chafee administration has said the state would realize some offsetting savings because of health-care changes.

In an earlier statement on the proposed contract, the Chafee administration said, "For the first time in the state's history, the unions have agreed to incorporate fair and reasonable deductibles in their health insurance. Effective Jan. 1, 2015, the deductibles will be $250 for individuals and $500 for families."

The contract also proposes "point of service medical insurance co-pays" and pharmaceutical co-pays, according to the Chafee administration.

As of January, there were 15,083 full-time or part-time people on the state payroll. At that time the majority -- 11,435 employees -- were members of unions.

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