The State of NH and State Employees' Association Move To Fact Finding After Questions Were Raised Over Healthcare Costs

After months of negotiating the State Employees' Association is now asking for  'Fact Finding' to answer the questions that the State is refusing to answer.  Fact finding requires the parties to develop a written and well-documented argument to support their respective proposals that are in disagreement.  A neutral third party, the fact finder, develops a comprehensive recommended contract settlement.

The State Employees' Association has given back a lot over the last few years. In fact state employees have not received a pay raise in over five years now.  No pay raises on top of ever increasing retirement and healthcare costs.  That is a net loss for the workers.

In a press release, Diana Lacey the President of the State Employees' Association stated, “I hear from members all the time…their families are hurting and they need some relief.  They love their jobs, as hard as they may be, and they love serving the general public.  But they are just like your next door neighbor and they need to pay their tax bill, mortgage, feed their families and heat their homes.”

SEA members are not alone in this fight.  Workers are continually loosing ground as workers have been forced 'tighten their belts' during this great recession.

The State has already proposed a small increase to workers wages yet are withhold the information on the amount their healthcare will be increased.  Without both pieces of information the SEA cannot make an informed decision on whether this contract will help, or harm their members.

In a written statement Governor Hassan stated, “I believe the tentative agreement reached in June between negotiators represented a fair deal for employees by providing the first cost-of-living increases in five years, and for New Hampshire taxpayers by achieving important healthcare savings to the state."  Where are these savings from the state going to come from, higher increases from employees?

According to the SEA’s analysis, the proposed cost increases in changes to the employees’ health plan will exceed the increased wages offered. “These changes could be financially devastating to more than fifty percent of the workforce, given how much additional costs they have already taken on through the recession and with no pay increases to soften the blow all these years,” said Jim Nall, the SEA member negotiating team chair.

"The state hasn’t provided any proof that a deal that really helps employees cannot be reached but by our calculations, the one the state wants will hurt most employees until 2015.  Employees can’t afford more pain.  It’s time to get beyond their trust-us like attitudes and fact finding will make that happen.” said Lacey.

“We had hoped that Governor Hassan would order her team to roll up their sleeves and have a thorough and comprehensive discussion with the SEA team about the health plan and its costs.  That never happened though,” said Lacey.  “Instead, they just keep asking for another mediation day and yet another.  That isn’t a strategy for success; it’s wasting precious time.”

The SEA and the Governor are hopeful that 'Fact Finding' will produce the needed results to come to an agreement on their new contract.  Both the State and the SEA and under a real time crunch as employees will need to make decisions about their healthcare plans durning the next 'open season' that begins in November.   The SEA also needs time to ratify the contract with its own members.

Our dedicated State Employees deserve a fair contract that will not push them further in the hole financially.  They are well overdue a pay raise that actually puts money into their pockets.