One down, one to go

One chamber down, one to go. On Monday, the state House of Representatives voted 78-72 to approve a labor concession package expected to save Connecticut $1.6 billion over the next two years. Approving the concession deal and securing those savings is critical to the legislature closing the $5 billion fiscal gap the state faces over those two years.

With only one defection, Democrats voted in favor, while Republicans voted unanimously against the bill.

The Democrats cannot afford even one defection in the Senate, where Republicans are also likely to stand unified in opposition. The Senate is split 18-18. A tie would allow Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman to cast the deciding vote to ratify.

It would have been great to see some bipartisan support for the concession package, but as it appears that won’t happen, Senate Democrats need to unite in support. If this deal falls apart, it could be many months before the legislature can reach agreement on a budget, already overdue by nearly a month.

A long delay would be terrible news for municipalities counting on state aid and for many human services programs already hit hard by cutbacks. It would also create great uncertainty, which is not good for the business climate in Connecticut.

Republicans and other critics decry the part of the deal that extends the benefits contract with state unions through 2027, a five-year extension. But they unfairly downplay the concessions — including a three-year salary freeze, three unpaid furlough days, increased co-pays and premiums, doubling employee pension contributions.

Most significantly, any new hires will enroll in a hybrid pension/defined-contribution plan that in the end will save Connecticut billions of dollars when compared to existing pension benefits.

Republican leaders contend Connecticut could realize greater savings by changing the laws under which labor contracts are bargained and demanding greater concessions. But as Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck, who in the 19th century led the movement to unify Germany, famously observed, “Politics is the art of the possible.”

The Republican alternative would almost certainly be met with a legal challenge by the unions and prolong the political stalemate in Hartford. In other words, it would invite chaos, not resolution, while failing to achieve the long-term savings Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has won through negotiations.

Close the labor deal in the Senate, and then get on with the work of finalizing a budget.