Oct. 27, 2002 – Gov. Charles W. Turnbull has asked Senate President Almando "Rocky" Liburd to "enact legislation to fund three union contracts" that together have a price tag of $6.1 million, and to do so "expeditiously," according to a Government House release issued Friday evening.
"In a letter dated May 30, 2002, transmitting the FY 2003 budget, I informed you that $25 million to $30 million would be needed to fund the 18 expired contracts," Turnbull stated in his letter sent on Friday to Liburd.
The three referenced contracts and the money needed to fund them, the release said, are with the United Steelworkers of America (Master contract), $3.8 million; the International Association of Firefighters for supervisors, $0.4 million; and the International Association of Firefighters for non-supervisors, $1.9 million.
According to the release, Turnbull in his letter to Liburd "reminded the Legislature" that in accordance with the V.I. Code, "no contract shall be binding as to the terms requiring appropriations until such appropriations are enacted."
It was not clear why additional appropriations were being sought beyond the funding allocated in the Fiscal Year 2003 budget.
The release said Turnbull provided Liburd an updated report "on the status of the 30 collective bargaining agreements." The release itself contained no information in this regard. Efforts to reach Liburd over the weekend were unsuccessful.
On Sept. 26, a Government House release said Karen Andrews, the administration's chief negotiator, had recently concluded negotiations with United Steelworkers of America (Master) which covered employees in 15 government departments and agencies. That agreement was still subject to ratification by the membership at the time.
The same release said that the government and the United International Association of Firefighters had reached agreement on a contract covering 193 Fire Service personnel. That pact also was still subject to ratification, the release said.
On Oct. 11, Government House announced agreement on a new contract with the Law Enforcement Supervisors Union and ratification by the union membership. The contract covers 96 sergeants, lieutenants, captains and supervisory corrections officers of the Police Department, Youth Rehabilitation Center and Corrections Bureau.
Repeated requests by the Source to the Office of Collective Bargaining for details of the contract provisions in recent weeks have gone unanswered.
Meanwhile, last week, a Government House release said that the implementation of salary increases teachers, members of the American Federation of Teachers, was proceeding, with the Personnel Division having processed 2,070 of 2,206 Notices of Personal Action received from the Education Department.
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