Connecticut public employees voted down an agreement that would have helped balance the state?s budget while saving $1.6 billion in labor costs over the next two years. The deal would have avoided the labor conflict seen recently in states such as Wisconsin and Ohio by freezing wages and guaranteeing public worker jobs for the next four years. State employees, however, voted against the agreement in hopes of strengthening their bargaining position. As a result of the deal?s rejection, state officials anticipate up to 7,500 layoffs in the coming months.
See "Connecticut Budget Plans Upended by Workers Vote", Peter Applebome, The New York Times, June 23, 2011