A union representing some 95,000 state workers has called off plans for a one-day strike, saying that it has ÿfound a pathway forwardÿ in contract negotiations with the administration of Gov. Jerry Brown.þþThe announcement on Friday afternoon by SEIU Local 1000 averted what was shaping up to be a test of wills between state officials — who warned that its members are subject to a no-strike clause — and the politically powerful union.þþA spokesman for the union declined to offer any additional details beyond a brief statement from Yvonne Walker, the union's president.þþÿAfter weeks of preparing for a strike, we have been in conversations with the state, and we both feel we have found a pathway forward,ÿ she said. ÿOur goal has never been to go on strike. It has always been to get a contract we can all be proud of.ÿþþThe union and state negotiators have been at the bargaining table for almost eight months, with both a pay raise and the size of worker healthcare contributions as key sticking points.þþSEIU Local 1000 officials announced last month that a sizeable number of its members, from clerical workers to nurses, had approved a strike.þþÿWe are pleased that the public will not have to face disruptions to state services on Monday,ÿ said state Department of Human Resources spokesman Joe DeAnda. ÿWe will continue to work with union leaders to finalize a formal agreement.ÿ
Source: NY Times
