Members of State public service workers union advocate legislative leaders call special session to act on agreement with Governor Rell's Administration
HARTFORD—Connecticut State employees are calling on lawmakers to approve a historic agreement reached last month with the Administration of Governor M. Jodi Rell that implements proposals from their "5-Point Plan for Reforming the DOT." Members of the union representing engineers and other professionals at the agency are asking lawmakers to help them improve the quality of services provided by the Department of Transportation (DOT) by approving the agreement in a special session next week.
"It is not very often that State employee unions and the Rell Administration enter into a win-win agreement for the affected employees and DOT" CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 Executive Director Robert Rinker told legislative leaders in a letter delivered Monday. "This agreement is also a win-win for commuters, as well as taxpayers" Rinker explained to State Senate President Donald Williams, House of Representatives Speaker James Amman, and the Majority Leaders of both chambers.
Among the many provisions of the agreement, negotiated through the State's Objective Job Evaluation (OJE) process, was the creation of more flexible work schedules to improve workforce retention. The agreement also creates career ladders for construction inspectors to enable the DOT to compete with the private sector in attracting new engineering professionals.
"This agreement was a combined effort of both DOT management and professional union members to empower us to be more effective and the agency less reliant on expensive consultants" Ned Statchen, a transportation engineer with over twenty years experience in the department, said. "It also makes the DOT more competitive in a tight market for the engineering workforce" he continued. "Several union members and I were up at the State Capitol for the last days of the session appealing to lawmakers to approve it" he continued. "There was broad, bi-partisan support for the agreement. But the clock ran out before they could call the resolution for a vote" Statchen concluded.
The supplemental OJE agreement was submitted just two days before the legislature adjourned its 2008 session on May 7. Members of the union are concerned about the loss of qualified current and future transportation professionals if passage is delayed until the next session convenes in January. Despite calls for more inspectors and engineers in the wake of the "Little Dig" on I-84 debacle, the DOT remains understaffed, delaying improvements to the state's aging transportation infrastructure.
CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 represents 25,000 active and retired public sector workers across Connecticut. Visit www.seiu2001.org online for more information about its members' efforts to establish meaningful reforms at the State DOT that will ensure the transparency and accountability needed to deliver reliable, quality services to Connecticut taxpayers.