Union drafts furlough pact

The Concord Monitor runs an AP story that the State Employees Assocation has reached a tentative forlough deal to take 18 days off, without pay, over the next two years.

If ratified by State Employees Association of New Hampshire members, the deal would avoid 750 layoffs in state government.

The first of 12 state government shutdowns would occur Oct. 12, according to the union.

The tentative shutdown dates were agreed upon Friday evening during talks between the union and the governor's office, said union spokeswoman Diana Lacey. The union agreed to the dates for the shutdowns after examining how they would affect public services and the employees who would have to absorb the loss of pay, she said.