The contract proposal now goes to members of the state's largest public employee union, who will vote on it this month.

01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, June 8, 2005

BY LIZ ANDERSON
Journal State House Bureau

PROVIDENCE -- Leaders of the state's largest public employee union agreed yesterday to send a proposed contract to their members for consideration.

J. Thomas Chellel, president of Council 94 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said the vote to present the contract to members was 19 to 2, after a roughly two-hour discussion.

"It's a solid compromise," Chellel said. "Listen, we definitely wanted more, but compared to what could have happened, we can live with it."

Local union leaders or their representatives will hold meetings with members between now and June 24. Members will cast secret ballots then or in follow-up votes, then the ballots will be combined and counted, most likely on June 24.

Council 94 represents more than 5,000 state employees, who have been without a contract for nearly a year.

Governor Carcieri said in a statement that he was "very pleased" that union leaders had joined him in supporting the contract terms. He said the state's request for intervention by a neutral conciliator had "set the stage" for the deal.

Spokesman Jeff Neal said the proposal matches the settlement suggested last month by conciliator Margaret L. Hogan.

Council 94 members would get 4-percent raises this year and next, and 3-percent raises for the two years after that. In turn, they would begin paying 2.5 percent of their base pay toward their health-care premiums, plus half a percent of salary add-ons such as overtime or longevity pay.

Stephen Robertson, president of Council 94's Local 2448, was one of the two union leaders who voted against the deal.

Robertson, who represents nearly 500 Department of Administration employees, said he believed workers were being asked to pay too much toward their health care. He also said it was "inherently unfair" to take a share of things such as overtime pay, and called the raises "anemic."