First 6 months 1995, Major Collective Bargaining Settlements in State and Local Government (Annual) — 1995-08-23

Major collective bargaining settlements reached in state and local government during the first half of 1995 provided changes in wage rates over the contract term that, on average, were lower, over the contract term than were specified in the agreements they replaced, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This marked a return to the relationship that had prevailed from the second half of 1990 through 1993. The series covers bargaining units with 1,000 workers or more and was initiated in 1984. Settlements in the first half of 1995 specified wage rate changes averaging an increase of 2.0 percent in the first year of the agreements and 2.3 percent annually over the life of the contracts. (See table 1.) Corresponding changes in agreements they replaced (which were negotiated primarily in 1993 or 1994) were 1.9 and 3.1 percent.