AFSCME Blasts Dillon, Bishop, Granholm for Attempts to Force Cutbacks Without Bargaining

LANSING, Mich.,  Feb. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Edward L. McNeil, Special Assistant to Albert Garrett, President of Michigan Council 25 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, issued the following statement:

"AFSCME's Institutional Unit bargaining committee has been taking a very serious approach to negotiations with the State Employer," stated McNeil.  "We are determined to reach a fair and equitable contract package covering our members in the Institutional Unit, and we have made ourselves available for round-the-clock bargaining sessions.

"In return, State Government doubles and redoubles efforts to circumvent the collective bargaining process and stab us in the back, even as we are bargaining," continued McNeil.  "Speaker of the Michigan House Andy Dillon is promoting a proposed law which would effectively gut our health insurance and assure us increased costs and decreased coverage - while circumventing the bargaining table.  

"Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop is boosting a proposed constitutional amendment which would require a five percent cut in wages and a 20 percent contribution to healthcare premiums for all public employees in the state - again circumventing the bargaining process," added McNeil.  "Governor Granholm is now urging modifications to the retirement plan to induce more of us to retire now, at the cost of tampering with the stability of the system and jeopardizing future retirement benefits - again, circumventing the bargaining table.

"We have come to the table in good faith, and we have addressed the State Employer's demands seriously and in good faith," concluded McNeil.  "Yet all of state government seems determined to ignore our rights and due process, and attempt to force additional concessions down our throats without even discussing these measures with us at the table.  This political posturing is unethical and should not be permitted to continue."

Edward L. McNeil is Chief Negotiator for the AFSCME Institutional Unit (state employees under civil service).  Michigan AFSCME Council 25 represents more than 90,000 public workers across Michigan.  AFSCME International represents 1.4 million public workers nationwide.  News releases issued by Michigan AFSCME Council 25 are available at http://laborweb.afscme.org/sites/MI_C_25

SOURCE Michigan AFSCME Council 25

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