Yes, contracts must be honored. Now they need resolve not to sign on to any more foolish contracts.
I guess the big deal here is that private industry does not allow this practice.
Working as an executive for one of the largest US conglomerate's, with prior approval I was allow to carry over one week of unused vacation. Use it or lose it!
We received x number of sick days a year. Use it or lose it!
We did receive severance payments if the company let you go, two weeks notice, then one week for every year of service, at your current pay rate, and as you rose in the executive ranks the severance maxed out at 52 weeks of pay -excluding any carried over one week of vacation.
No sweetheart deals, no counting overtime in final pay, no extra nothin’!
Public employees benefit from corrupt politics; untrained and ineffective management; the need to offer non-union employees similar benefits that were given away to union employees:
(so that teachers would not strike on September 1 - the contract date negotiated to inflict as much damage to the new school year - so that parents would not need to find child care as school was deferred.)
There is no need for public employees unions. If the employees don't like their situation, walk with your feet!
What’s the big deal? The country is broke. People in the private sector scratch and claw for tiny raises, and people working for the government get sweetheart deals like this.