Midway Sanitary District workers celebrate wage increases

Members of AFSCME Local 1734 with the Midway Sanitary District have ratified a new contract with impressive wage increases.
 

Members won 13.5% wage increases over the life of the 3-year contract. Beyond the across-the-board wage increases, members won a $100 increase in employer medical insurance contribution each year of the contract. “My proudest moment was being able to help my team get a good contract,” said Robert Cruz, member of the Local 1734 bargaining team. “It was the best COLA contract we have ever gotten, so it was good to be a part of that.”
 

The new agreement comes after months of negotiations and after members took a small, yet effective action. Management often holds lunch-ins for their employees, but after a few bargaining sessions that did not go well, workers stopped attending the lunch-ins. This sent a strong message to management that Local 1734 is unified and want to negotiate a good, fair contract. The bargaining session following the action went well and the Local was able to secure a strong contract.
 

This contract includes notable benefit increases, and the Local will make sure they continue to build on what they won. “This contract will affect us in a good way because it’s only a starting point for us to gain more for our team,” said Cruz. “It puts us on track to be able to be on the winning side of negotiations moving forward.”