Ohio state employees’ union agrees to furloughs and no pay raises for three years

The Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, which represents 35,000 employees in nearly all state agencies, have voted to approve a three-year contract that includes no pay raises and 10 days of mandatory unpaid furloughs.

This was a no-win situation for us," said Andy Douglas, the union's executive director and chief negotiator. "Obviously, this contract was not the outcome we were seeking. However, given the economic climate and the state's budget, this union did the best it could to ensure damage to our members was limited. Given what is happening in most other states, the result could have been much worse."

The union said it dodged a proposed 6 percent pay cut with a shorter workweek

.