PROVIDENCE – The labor union that represents about 800 city employees has agreed to a three-year contract that calls for wage increases of more than 8% over three years, the city announced Friday.
The terms of the contract – reached in negotiations with Mayor Jorge O. Elorza’s administration – were ratified by the Laborers’ Union, Local 1033, on March 24. The City Council will now review the tentative agreement and decide whether to give it final approval.
If approved, the contract will take effect on July 1.
Under the three-year pact, union employees will get a 2.5% raise in the first year, followed by a 2.75% raise in the second year and a 3% in the final year, according to the city.
Other features of the new agreement include recognizing Juneteenth – the day commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans in 1865 – as a city holiday. It was made a federal holiday last year.
Also, the contract would expand some language to reflect the prohibition of discrimination in two new areas: gender identity and expression as well as genetic information.
“By working together, we found important ways to better reflect our values and serve our city workforce while identifying savings and efficiencies that taxpayers deserve,” Elorza said in a statement.
The city said the agreement provides more than $2 million dollars in savings in health care costs, expanding the city’s workplace wellness program and maintaining provisions from the city’s previous contract to reduce the cost of new employees.
“This agreement meets the needs of our members while simultaneously is fair to the taxpaying residents we serve,” Ronald Coia, business manager of Local 1033, said in a statement.
Local 1033 represents city employees at City Hall, Department of Public Works and Department of Parks, among others, the city said.
