Vermont State Labor Council AFL-CIO issued the following announcement.
AFSCME LOCAL 490, BENNINGTON DPW WORKERS, RATIFY NEW UNION CONTRACT THAT BRINGS THEM TO $30.50 AN HOUR OVER FIVE YEARS
This morning, members of AFSCME Local 490, Town of Bennington DPW workers, unanimously ratified a new five year Collective Bargaining Agreement which brings their wages from the current $23 an hour to $30.50 an hour over five years (and perhaps even higher depending on inflation).
But make no mistake… Bennington DPW workers are worth every penny. In addition to doing a fine job maintaining the water & wastewater systems, maintaining the parks & the buildings, and clearing the roads of ice & snow in the winter, they also engage in highly skilled construction projects on a regular bases. And they are all hard workers by any measure. As such, they have earned much support and recognition from their community (as is reflected in this new Contract).
Their new CBA achieves the following:
* 6.2% raise year one;
* 6.1% raise year two;
* 5% raise year three;
* 5% raise year four;
* 5% raise year five;
* If the CPI is higher than the raises in years two through five, they get the higher CPI as their raise;
* Preference given to Union members (and not Management) concerning equipment operation;
* Juneteenth as new paid holiday;
* Union President (or designee) to attend and participate in weekly Management meetings;
* Zero concessions.
The Vermont AFL-CIO congratulates Local President Dan Cornell (who is also a VT AFL-CIO VP from the United! slate), the Union Bargaining Team, and rank & file members of Local 490 for winning a great new Contract and once again showing that there is POWER IN THE UNION!
-VT AFL-CIO
Original source can be found here.
