HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – There shouldn’t be any labor strife involving the Holland Board of Public Works by the end of this week.
Pending an endorsement by the municipal utility’s board this afternoon and final approval by the City Council in a special meeting this Wednesday evening, a new three-year contract with the Utility Workers Union of America, which represents about half of the BPW’s workforce, will go into effect on Sunday morning. Under terms of the collective bargaining agreement, there is an annual across-the-board “wage adjustments” of three percent, effective on July 1st of each year, along with the continuation of the annual performance pay program that can be up to a three percent lump sum payment by the end of October, continuation of the base insurance health plan, and a revised call-out incentive, among other items.
The deal, which came on March 6th following a series of bargaining sessions held over the past couple of months, must also be approved by the unionized rank-and-file before it can go before City Council. Both sides agreed to extend the current contract until all sides approve the new pact.
