The fact-finder's report recommended 2 percent raises each of the next two years. But what really riled workers, Decker said, is that it also asked state employees to pay a share of their health insurance costs for the first time. The union had started talks in November seeking consecutive 5 percent pay increases and no cuts in benefits. The state argued that workers should expect to pay some portion of medical benefits, noting that insurance costs for workers rose 75 percent since 1997. But the union countered that the medical benefits are a primary reason workers stay on the job in the face of low wages and small pay increases year after year.
State insurance covers virtually all medical costs, with small co-payments for prescription drugs.
A dental policy covers preventive work and a portion of corrective care. Put to a union vote, the fact-finders' report was rejected by 97 percent. The union returned to the bargaining table in March and this time, there was a difference. Letters went out urging members to call their state representatives, and hundreds did. When a tentative agreement was reached with the new contract numbers, the SEA held an afternoon rally in front of the State House.