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AUGUSTA — The Democratic chairs of the Legislature’s Labor Committee are calling on the Mills administration to wrap up negotiations with a state workers union following a dispute over pay.
Sen. Mike Tipping of Orono and Rep. Amy Roeder of Bangor said in a statement Friday that the current offer from the Maine Service Employees Association is a fair deal.
“The administration has dragged this out for almost a year,” Tipping said. “Now they’re ignoring this more than fair offer, ignoring the independent fact finding and have cut their initial offer by around $1,000 per worker. It’s the definition of operating in bad faith.”
Earlier this week, the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services said four other state worker unions have already agreed to a 2% raise in January of this year and another 2% raise effective July 1.
The MSEA is seeking a 2.5% wage increase in the first year, with a $1,250 signing bonus. For year two, the union wants a 3% increase.
That’s the proposal from an independent panel brought in to help the sides reach an agreement after 11 months of negotiating.
The Mills administration also argues that over the last seven years, wages for state workers have increased “a minimum of 29%,” which they say is greater than the previous 16 years combined.
Roeder, who serves as co-chairwoman of the Labor Committee, said it’s “stunning” that negotiations over the contract for 9,000 state workers has taken nearly a year.
“Contract negotiations haven’t had to go beyond independent fact finding in half a century,” she said. “It’s time for the administration to stop these games, take this deal and make sure 9,000 hard working Mainers get the money they’re owed for the vital work they do.”
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