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Strike
averted
Local 615, Universitysettle new contract
By Tim Stoddard
After a marathon negotiation session that went into the wee hours of
October 31, the University and the union representing about 660 Buildings
and Grounds workers reached agreement on a new contract, averting a strike
that would have begun on November 1. Workers in Local 615 of the Service
Employees International Union will receive a 9.5 percent raise over the
next three years, and BU has agreed to reduce the cost of health-care
benefits for workers who enroll in the BMC Preferred Health Plan or the
new Tufts Premium Health Plan, which was not previously offered.
“
We were very pleased to reach this agreement,” says Manuel Monteiro,
associate vice president for human resources. “The employees covered
by Local 615 are, and always have been, valued members of the community.
With this agreement we keep them at or among the highest paid employees
in their fields among area colleges and universities.”
The University
will add 25 cents to the base hourly pay of the approximately 450 custodians
in Local 615 before computing a 3 percent increase for
this year, followed by 3.25 percent and 3 percent raises in the second
and third years. The more contentious issue centered on the share of
health-care costs covered by the University. Previously, BU provided
66 percent of the cost for all health plans offered; the union asked
that the share be increased to 75 percent. Under the agreement, one of
the existing plans, BMC Preferred, and the new Tufts plan will be available
with a 75 percent employer contribution. The others will continue to
be available with a 66 percent employer contribution.
7
November 2003
Boston University
Office of University Relations