It was perhaps the worst-kept secret in the state, but when union officials announced the results of the vote on a concession agreement this afternoon, whoops and cheers erupted in a union hall on Capitol Avenue.
"Nearly 26,000 members voted yes,'' Dawn Tyson, a social services administrative support worker and a union member. "That's more than twice as many who voted no...Our members have spoken decisively and overwhelmingly."
The union hall was sweltering and packed with people but the mood was one of celebration and relief that the pact had finally passed on the second ballot. (When the agreement came up for a vote for the first time earlier this year, a majority of state employees voted yes but under the union's rather byzantine rules, a simple majority wasn't enough to approve the proposal.)
Several state employees said it was a lack of time, more than anything else, that helped doom the deal the first time around.
"It was a super complex deal, especially the conceptual shift around health care, that getting it passed in the time frame we originally had was always going to be a challenge,'' said Jason Jones, an English professor at Central Connecticut State University and president of the school's chapter of the American Association of University Professors. "While I wish it had passed the first time because that would make us all look a lot better, it was in fact a hard sell.''
Jones said the changes to the state employee health care benefits proved to be the biggest source of confusion. Under the agreement, state workers would have to participate in wellness programs and undergo certain health care screenings or pay higher benefits. Supporters say such requirements will save the state big money over the long haul by encouraging workers to stay healthy and catching disease in its earlier stages.
While such programs are becoming increasingly popular in the private sector, they were seen as a radical change for many state employees, Jones said. "At first when you hear it, it sounds really Orwellian...like the state's going to know what you're doing with your doctor. Helping people understand it was a real challenge.''