Gov. Chris Sununu’s office said the union representing state corrections officers has declared an impasse in contract negotiations.
The Republican is “surprised and disappointed,” according to a statement from his spokesman Dave Abrams. A representative for the Teamsters Local 633 did not return a call for comment.
The union represents an estimated 400 corrections officers and corporals who work at the state’s three prisons in Berlin, Concord and Goffstown.
State overtime spending on corrections has risen dramatically in recent years, as the department has struggled to recruit and retain enough officers to staff its prisons. The department has relied on forced overtime at times, meaning workers must put in extra hours or face discipline. The department accounted for nearly one-third of the state’s overall overtime spending in 2015, making up $9.1 million of the $28.7 million total, according to state salary records.
Sununu’s budget would allocate an additional $13.2 million in salaries and overtime, which would help open the new women’s prison being built in Concord, his statement said.
It’s not clear when talks will resume. The contract would cover the 2018 and 2019 fiscal years.
The state budget process is just getting underway, with House budget writers taking their turn at rewriting the two-year spending plan. It will then go to the state Senate.