After long wait, California’s road maintenance union votes for contract
The union that represents most Caltrans maintenance workers finally got a contract that its members like.
Eighteen months after its last contract expired, the International Union of Operating Engineers State Unit 12 on Friday approved a new deal.
The contract for some 12,000 state maintenance workers provides base wage increases of at least 14 percent by July 1, 2019. This year, they’ll receive two wage increases worth a combined 7 percent.
The agreement is considered a five-year contract because it’s back-dated to July 1, 2015, when its last contract expired.
In July, the union voted down a different contract offer from Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration.
“It took a long time” to negotiate the deal that union members wanted, said Steve Crouch, the union’s director of public employees.
The Legislature must approve the contract for IUOE members to start getting their raises. Votes have not yet been scheduled on the IUOE contract or other agreements that have been approved this month.
Adam Ashton: 916-321-1063, @Adam_Ashton. Sign up for state worker news alerts at sacbee.com/newsletters.
This story was originally published January 30, 2017 at 12:19 PM.