PROVIDENCE – There soon may be labor peace at the Rhode Island School of Design.
The arts college announced late Monday that college officials and Teamsters Local 251 – representing more than 60 RISD employees who are custodians, movers and grounds-services staffers – have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, which will end the ongoing strike at the college. RISD spokesperson Jaime Marland said RISD offered the union a proposal on April 13, which the union “tentatively agreed to” late Monday.
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Local 251 Principal Officer Matthew Taibi confirmed Tuesday to Providence Business News the union has reached such an agreement, although declined at the moment to share details of that agreement prior to the union’s vote on it. That vote, he said, will be held late Tuesday afternoon.
Taibi also confirmed that the agreement centers around pay rates and benefits for union members, the crux of the current labor dispute.
If the union agrees to the terms, it will conclude what has been lengthy contract negotiations between Local 251 and RISD that also resulted in the union going on strike twice in the last month. The two sides have been negotiating since June 2022 and the union first held a one-day strike on March 23.
Then, after negotiations remained stalled, Local 251 members at RISD walked off the job again on April 3 and have been on the picket line since. RISD students have also during the strikes supported union members outside of campus buildings.
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.
