PROVIDENCE – More than 60 union workers at the Rhode Island School of Design returned to work Wednesday after the arts college and Teamsters Local 251 finalized a new five-year collective bargaining agreement late Tuesday.
The union – which represents custodians, movers and grounds-services staffers working at RISD – voted unanimously Tuesday afternoon on the new deal that RISD proposed to union members. The two sides on April 17 had tentatively agreed to the new contract, which has ended tense labor negotiations since July 2022 that resulted in two strikes within the last month.
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Pay wages and benefits were at the center of the nearly year-long negotiations between Local 251 and RISD. RISD union employees first went on a one-day strike on March 23 and then walked off the job again on April 3 and had been on the picket line since.
According to the contract, union members across the board who have worked at least one year at RISD will see their hourly pay range from $20.20 per hour to $22.75 per hour starting this July. By July 2027, those hourly pays will be between $21.86 per hour to $24.62 per hour.
Local 251 Principal Officer Matthew Taibi told Providence Business News that the new agreement was less than what the union had calling for, but the hourly pay rates did increase with the new agreement. Previously, the overall average hourly wage rate for the union members was $16.74 – the lowest was $15.30.
The current average hourly wage will increase to more than $19 per hour retroactive to October 2022, Taibi said, before it rises to more than $20 in July.
For benefits, Taibi said the union “ultimately agreed” to RISD’s benefit package – RISD will cover 90% of the health costs – with protections against any benefit reductions throughout the life of the agreement. The agreement also includes RISD providing an 8% core contribution to the union employees’ retirement plan, Taibi said.
In a statement, RISD spokesperson Jaime Marland said the new contract “reflects and advances” the arts college’s commitment to social equity and inclusion. She also said RISD is committed to taking “immediate and long-term action to better embody our values and priorities concerning base wages for our lowest paid employees.”
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
