Union Approves 3-Year Contract With State of Ohio

A union representing 4,000 state workers in Ohio has approved a contract with the state that extends their current labor agreement until 2015. The Service Employees International Union, District 1199, is the second union to swiftly reach a deal with the state following the rejection of collective bargaining restrictions by voters in November. The union represents registered nurses, parole officers and others. The current contract expires at the end of May, and the state's Controlling Board has already signed off on the agreement. Base wages wouldn't increase for workers, but some newer employees will be eligible for "step" increases in their salary range. The contract also doesn't include some concessions, such as furlough days, that the union made in the first two years of the current agreement.