The new contract between UE Local 203 and the Flynn Center will increase wages significantly over four years, addressing a severe problem with retaining employees. Wages for new hires will increase by about 14 percent, and current workers’ wages will increase between 22 and 23 percent.
The new contract adds three new holidays (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Indigenous Peoples' Day, and President's Day), and workers will also now receive their birthday as a holiday. The amount of paid sick leave workers accrue will double. Vacation time accrual will also increase, and the contract adds a new, intermediate step to increase the vacation accrual rate after two years. (UE members at the Flynn are part-time workers who work variable hours, so accrual for both sick and vacation time is based on hours worked. The previous contract had two steps for vacation accrual, with the second step not kicking in until a worker’s fifth anniversary.)
The Flynn Center is a performing arts theater in downtown Burlington. UE members at the Flynn are customer service representatives at the Flynn Regional Box Office, which sells tickets for events at the Flynn, grandstand shows at the Champlain Valley Fair, and other events in the region. The contract was negotiated by Chief Steward Dean Pratt, assisted by Field Organizer Abbie Curtis.