Penn State technical service union employees ratify new 4-year contract. Here are the details
A union of Penn State employees ratified a new contract Friday after reaching an agreement last month.
Teamsters Local 8, a union of technical service employees at Penn State, reached a tentative four-year agreement with the university on June 29, the day before their previous contract was set to expire. In a Friday news release, Penn State announced the contract had been ratified and is retroactive to July 1.
The four-year contract was officially ratified by Local 8 union members by a vote of 1,569 to 176.
The new contract includes about a 20% salary increase over the term of the contract.
In the release, Penn State noted that increases are similar to other recent agreements reached with state employees in the Service Employees International Union Local 668 and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 13 union.
“During the entire negotiation process, our members sent a very clear message to the University about obtaining a fair contract that provides significant wage increases. We are thankful to finalize a contract that does just that,” President Jon Light of Teamsters Local Union 8 said in a statement. “Our members make this University run and we look forward to providing this service for the next four years under our new contract.”
Jennifer Wilkes, vice president for human resources and chief human resources officer, said the university is grateful for another successful negotiation with Teamsters Local 8.
“Our technical service employees keep our campuses operating seamlessly, and we believe this contract compensates and recognizes them for their important work,” she said.
Other contract changes include those to assignment of work and schedules, holidays, sick leave, employee recognition and training, and the grievance process, according to the news release. There are no plan changes for health care “while only increasing the cost modestly,” the university wrote.
The union had been in contract negotiations with the university since early May with their contract expiring midnight June 30. Members voted in late June to authorize the union’s executive board to take strike action if necessary.
Members overwhelmingly voted in favor of authorizing a strike — of the 2,053 members who voted, 1,878 voted in favor, or 91%, and 175 voted against authorizing a strike.
Editor’s note: This story was originally published June 29 and updated after the contract was ratified.
This story was originally published June 29, 2024 at 12:46 PM.
