Healey floats voluntary buyouts to some public employees, union leaders say

Gov. Maura Healey’s administration is floating voluntary buyouts to some public workers in an effort to reduce the state workforce and save money, as Beacon Hill lawmakers grapple with fiscal uncertainty under the Trump administration, union leaders said.

Officials at two unions that represent state employees confirmed Tuesday that the Healey administration discussed proposed buyouts with them. It comes as Trump’s signature tax breaks and spending cuts bill is set to siphon away more than $600 million in revenue from Massachusetts.

SEIU 509 President Dave Foley said the Healey administration wants to offer $10,000 to public employees who voluntarily resign and $20,000 to those who retire.

“Our understanding is that when these positions become vacant, they would not be backfilled and would be eliminated,” Foley said in a message to his members, a copy of which was obtained by WBUR. “It is important to note that this proposal is not an early retirement program, and it would not allow employees to qualify or access their pension at an earlier date.”

SEIU 509 represents 8,600 public workers, with the largest concentration in the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, according to Foley.

He said the union has not agreed to the Healey administration’s buyout proposal.

“We came to a consensus to meet with the state to receive more information,” he said in the message to union members. "We have concerns that reducing staffing levels would negatively impact both our members and the essential services we provide to clients and families."

At the Massachusetts Nurses Association, spokesman Joe Markman said members of the union who work for the state are also affected by this proposed buyout. The association represents employees in state-operated psychiatric hospitals and public health hospitals, among other places.

Markman said the union has “a number of questions related to the specifics of the administration's proposal and the agencies to be most impacted.”

“But more importantly, we are concerned about any effort to reduce staff at our state-operated facilities and programs,” he said in a statement. “These facilities and programs are already woefully understaffed now in an environment that cares for some of the most vulnerable adults and children in the Commonwealth.”

Karissa Hand, a spokesperson for Healey, did not acknowledge the buyouts in a statement.

“While President Trump continues to hurt our economy, Gov. Healey is considering additional steps to protect taxpayer dollars while continuing the high level of service that the people of Massachusetts deserve,” Hand said in a statement.

In an interview with WBUR, Foley said the Healey administration should first turn to the state’s $8 billion rainy day fund to raise more money before cutting the public workforce.

“Why is the administration pursuing a reduction in the state workforce first? They have other options that they should be exhausting,” he said.