Second half and full year 1994, Major Collective Bargaining Settlements in State and Local Government (Annual) — 1995-03-17

Major collective bargaining settlements reached in state and local government during the second half of 1994 provided annual changes in wage rates that were higher, on average, than were specified in the agreements they replaced, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This relationship also occurred in the first half of the year. Earlier, however, beginning with the second half of 1990 through the second half of 1993, settlements had specified lower wage rate changes than those called for in the agreements being replaced. The Bureau's series covers bargaining units with 1,000 workers or more and was initiated in 1984. During the second half of 1994, there were 172 settlements, covering 648,000 state and local government workers. They specified wage rate changes averaging an increase of 2.5 percent in the first year of the agreements and 3.0 percent annually over the life of the contracts.