FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                        Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Contact: Senator Bob Odell

(603) 271-6733

 

COMMITTEE SENDS EVERGREEN REPEAL BILL TO FULL SENATE

 

CONCORD – The Senate Public and Municipal Affairs Committee voted 4-1 to recommend passage of legislation that would eliminate the automatic extension of public employee contracts known as the Evergreen clause. The committee vote today sends the bill on to the full Senate, which could vote on the measure as early as January 19.

 

“An Evergreen clause means that although a contract has ended, pay increases and other benefits must be continued until a new contact is reached. These automatic extensions can result in long-term expenses that were never approved. At a time when we’re all being asked to tighten our belts, this clause tilts the negotiations in favor of public employee labor unions at the expense of the taxpayer,” Senator Bob Odell (R-Lemster), testified today.

 

Senate Bill 1 does not prevent government bodies and unions from agreeing to an Evergreen provision in labor contracts but it removes a requirement that made Evergreen provisions mandatory.

 

“This is a bill that gives local control back to the taxpayers,” said Betsy Miller, speaking for the New Hampshire Association of Counties. “This is about local control on spending.”

 

“The imposition of the Evergreen requirement was an infringement on the rights of local voters to make the decision about continuing compensation,” said Mark Joyce, executive director of the New Hampshire School Administrative Association.

 

They were among a number of administrators from communities around the state, including Bedford, North Hampton, Milford and Portsmouth who testified in support of the Evergreen repeal, arguing it made it difficult to get unions to negotiate new contracts, especially in these difficult economic times.

 

“We cannot afford the Evergreen clause – that’s the problem. It’s unsustainable,” said Richard Bauries, speaking for the Monadnock Schools Taxpayers Association.

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