At a meeting today of the Hartford Municipal Employees Association (HMEA). Members apparently voted unanimously to turn down a request by Mayor Bronin to withdraw their contract negotiations from the arbitration process.
Apparently Bronin had requested the withdrawal from Arbitration as part of the process to start getting Hartford's budget mess in order. This step would have been part of the process to re-open Union contract issues, what many say is a necessary first step.
On the other side, there might be an issue of the trust factor between the Union's and the City Administration. Previously Hartford's Unions were requested to agree to give backs, furlough days and various concessions. They did their part at that time, only to see Mayor Segarra then hand out raises to his staff, including a $20,000 raise to his Chief of Staff Jared Kupiec,
Unfortunately, Hartford's "Massive" budget deficit continues to grow daily.
The unfortunate pat of these actions is that many of HMEA'S members are actually Hartford residents and any layoffs of HMEA members would hit them and the City very hard both in unemployment stats and difficulty paying taxes on their homes and vehicles.