UE Local 222, an amalgamated local which represents public-sector workers in various workplaces across the state of Connecticut, settled several new contracts this past fall.
In the town of Canton, which is just north-west of Hartford in the middle of the state, dispatchers represented by Sublocal 34 will receive wage increases of 2.8, 3 and 2.8 percent over the three years of their new contract. The sublocal was able to hold insurance premium payments to 20 percent in the first year and 21 percent in the second and third years. Workers will now receive an additional day of vacation for each year past 15 years of service, maxing out at 25 days at 20 years of service.
The town also agreed to contribute to workers’ pursuit of higher education by reimbursing workers $750 per year towards the cost of an associates degree or $1,250 per year towards a bachelors.
The Sublocal 34 bargaining committee consisted of President David Canny and Secretary-Treasurer Michael Roy. They were assisted by Field Organizer Sherry Bryant.
In Suffield, on the Connecticut-Massachusetts border, food service workers who work for the town’s board of education won a new three-year agreement at the beginning of the school year with significant wage increases. Lead workers will receive increases of $2.25, $1.10 and $0.62; cooks will receive increases of $2.14, $1.05, and $0.56; and general workers and substitutes will receive increases of $2.14, $0.49, and $0.99. The shoe allowance will also be increased by $20.
The Suffield food service workers are members of Sublocal 38. Their negotiating committee consisted of Kathy Stelmack and Annie Marie (Cookie) Duval. They were assisted by Field Organizer Annie MacDonald.
In Stonington, in the south-east corner of the state, Sublocal 54’s new three-year contract for public administrators gets rid of a merit system for raises and moves to a pay scale. The new pay scale means that all members will reach the top of their pay grade in 10 years.
Workers will receive a three percent general wage increase retroactive to July 1, 2022, a 2.8 percent general wage increase on July 1, 2023, and all workers will receive a step increase when they move onto the new step structure in the third year of the contract. Workers’ share of health insurance premiums will only rise one percent over the three years of the contract, from 19 to 20 percent for the Preferred Provider Organization option and from 17 to 18 percent for the high-deductible plan. The town will continue to pay for 50 percent of the deductible for the length of the contract.
The contract also adds Juneteenth as a holiday, and makes five days of vacation available to new employees after six months. The town will pay for 100 percent of the cost of tuition and books for up to two college courses per year for employees who meet requirements.
The Sublocal 54 negotiating committee consisted of Chair Christopher Greenlawn, Tom Curioso, and Aga Gonzalez. They were assisted by Field Organizer Bryant.