If unionized CT employees don't ratify a labor concession deal in the coming weeks, Gov. Malloy warned there will be massive layoffs, substantially more than the 4,700 he threatened last month.

Instead of imposing higher co-pays and rolling back health insurance coverage for state employees, Connecticut officials want their workers to get a colonoscopy to help cut costs.

Union leaders and members of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's administration voiced optimism that state employees will eventually ratify a labor savings deal, now that the details have been released.

For two months, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's labor negotiators have been meeting privately with the leaders of 15 state employee unions, trying to come up with $2 billion in labor savings over two years to help balance Connecticut's budget.

v. Dannel P. Malloy on Thursday gave his negotiators and union leaders more time to discuss $2 billion in labor savings, putting off — for now — issuing the threatened first round of layoff notices to about 4,000 Connecticut workers a day before they were to go out.

The Republican leaders of the Connecticut General Assembly called on Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy Thursday to support their efforts to end the practice of making payments for longevity on the job to certain veteran state employees.