Details of the pact with Council 13 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees were not immediately made public, but it is expected to serve as the template for pacts with 16 smaller unions representing another 15,000 people.
The unions' current contracts expire June 30.
"The governor is pleased with the way the negotiations have proceeded," said the governor's spokesman, Kevin Harley.
The AFSCME deal, which must be ratified by the rank and file to take effect, was struck around midnight Wednesday, said Dan Egan of the governor's Office of Administration. Talks with the second-largest union, Local 668 of the Service Employees International Union, which represents 10,000 workers, were slated to resume Thursday, said union spokeswoman Leah Wright.
Corbett, a Republican in his first year as governor, called for sweeping concessions by the unions at the outset of negotiations. He proposed a 4 percent pay cut followed by 2 percent increases in the second and third years of the contract, as well as rollbacks in health insurance coverage and five unpaid furlough days for every state employee.
Corbett's proposal would have cost the typical union member about $2,000, according to AFSCME chief David Fillman. The union says the average AFSMCE member makes $34,000 a year, but the administration pegs the figure at more than $39,000.
---
Information from: The Patriot-News, http://www.pennlive.com/patriotnews
