Contracts between the State of Michigan and tens of thousands of employees don?t expire until the end of the year, but both parties have already called for the formation of an ?impasse panel?. The parties are committed to working out an agreement on their own, but the union feels that wage raises and benefits should be higher given concessions made in 2011 and the governor?s recent string of statements which emphasize the state?s growing economy. The state believed that the increase in co-pays and office visits, but consolidating all the unions to a single plan would save money in lower premiums for both the state and its workers. Michigan, in 2011, bargained with all of its unions simultaneously, called ?coordinated bargaining?, but is placing limitations on the number of delegates each party can sent in the negotiations this year.
See "State employee unions, Michigan at odds over wages and benefits: ?We?re in for one hell of a fight?", Jonathan Oosting, MLive.com, October 30, 2013