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Tentative Agreement

When push came to shove, we stood strong for what's right!

We won raises equal to inflation. We maintained fully paid health care. We delivered a living wage proposal giving relief to our lowest paid members.
Our work site pressure led to an agreement that moves workers and public services in the right direction.
 Our bargaining team unanimously recommends ratification of this agreement. The next step is a bargaining conference July 28, where delegates will vote to send the agreement to the full membership. The membership has the final vote on ratification of this agreement.

Here's what we've won through our unity:
Raises: Jul 1, 2007 - 3%; not less than $80 per month

Nov 1, 2008 - 3.2%; not less than $85 per month
6.2% in raises over two years is higher than the projected inflation rate. It is the highest COLA we have won in over a decade. The $80 and $85 floors will protect our lowest paid members.
Insurance: Full-time employees will not pay for health insurance! The State will pay the full cost through 12/31/08.

On 1/1/09, they will pay up to 12% in increased costs , but if the increase is more than that, we will be able to use PEBB reserves to pay for the excess. It will not come out of our monthly checks!

Part-time: Employee premiums will be frozen at their current levels!
Living Wage: Our salary scale will be restructured in the second year of the contract to boost the pay of the lowest paid workers.
Effective 11/1/08, the lowest paid full time state worker will earn $1847 per month, up from $1411 currently. That means no full time state worker will earn less than the gross income limit for food stamp eligibility for a family of three!
Here's how this works:

Salary Range 5: Steps 1 - 6 will be eliminated
Salary Range 6: Steps 1 - 5 will be eliminated
Salary Range 7: Steps 1 - 4 will be eliminated
Salary Range 8: Steps 1 - 3 will be eliminated
Salary Range 9: Steps 1 and 2 will be eliminated
Salary Range 10: Step 1 will be eliminated
Selectives We won many - though not all - of the selectives our members deserve.
Higher Ranges in New/Revised Classes
Bereavement We won 24 hours of paid time (without using vacation or sick leave) in the event of a death in the immediate family.
Vacation Employees with 25 years will earn two more hours of vacation per month (for a total of 18 hours per month).