On his way out of office two years ago, Governor Culver agreed to a new contract with public workers unions without negotiation. That likely won’t be the case under Governor Branstad.
The current contract awarded more than $20,000 public union employees a six percent pay raise over two years.
Now Governor Branstad is talking pay cuts, and he says a new study explains why.
The study by the HR consulting firm Aon Hewitt found base pay for state employees was nearly 18-percent higher when compared to other states and private companies.
The same firm also released a study last month saying union worker benefits are also higher than average.
The study noted Iowa could save $116-million by bringing benefit packages in line with the market.
Contract negotiations with Iowa union leaders are scheduled to begin November 16th.
