Today, the Michigan Civil Service Commission approved all five agreements ratified recently by members of the labor organizations that comprise the Coalition of State Employee Unions. Leaders of the five unions – the UAW, SEIU 517M, Michigan Corrections Officers, Michigan State Employees Association and AFSCME Council 25 – were present at the meeting and welcomed the official conclusion to the collective bargaining process.

“The Coalition commends the governor for recognizing that when labor and management collaborate, we can work together toward creating smarter, more efficient government that benefits the workers and provides better services for Michigan citizens,” said UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada, who led the historic, first-time Coalition negotiations with the state.

“Michigan is leading the way in showing that labor-management relations can work,” added Estrada, who directs the UAW Public Sector and Health Care Servicing Department.

The five collective bargaining agreements cover 35,000 state employees. Non-economic terms of the contracts begin Jan. 1, 2012; economic terms of the contracts begin on Oct. 1, 2012.