Fasano Asks Governor’s Administration to Stop Refusing to Release Proposed Labor Contracts

Hartford – Senate Republican President Pro Tempore Len Fasano (R-North Haven) released the following statement today regarding Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s administration’s refusal to release proposed labor contracts to the state legislature. The governor has recently negotiated a state employee concessions deal with union leaders, and the Senate Republican caucus has requested over 20 tentative agreements for each bargaining unit multiple times beginning on July 6, including a request pursuant to the state’s Freedom of Information laws.  Lawmakers are expected to vote to approve or reject the concessions deal.

“Not releasing these contracts makes me question, and should make every legislator question, what is in them that the administration does not want us to see.  From the few contracts that are already public, we see many increased costs. We need to know what we are voting on before we actually vote. To withhold these documents from any member of the legislature is an affront to transparency. I again am asking for these documents, this time publicly, in the hopes that requests from my office will be responded to immediately. If union members have access to these contracts which they are voting on today, why do lawmakers who also have to vote on these contracts not have the same access? We need to spend time analyzing these documents so we can fully understand what benefits are changing and which are staying the same. That takes time. There’s no reason why documents that have been shared with individual unions should not also be shared with the public and especially lawmakers who have the same obligation to review, assess and vote on the labor deal.”