Lawrence village workers ratify new 3-year contract

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Village of Lawrence employees, who are members of the United Public Service Employees (UPSE) union ratified a three-year contract, the first time in five years that the now 25 workers, have had a new agreement.
At one time there were 65 union village members, but several years of staff reductions have cut the workforce.
The new deal calls for raises of 2.5 percent, 1.5 percent and 1.5 percent. Those percent increases are what the village was offering. The union was seeking an across the board raise of $2,000 and 2 percent raises for three years. There is no retro active pay but employees earn credit for years served.
“The contract is settled and we are very happy it is settled,” said Lawrence Mayor Martin Oliner. “It is fair and equitable to everyone.”
With negotiations going no where last year, the village employees voted to replace the Civil Service Employees Association with UPSE. Despite the change, the impasse in contract talks continued even after the parties used a mediator in an effort to resolve their differences.
The sparring went public as Oliner and UPSE labor relations representative Brandon Nasierowski traded jabs at an Oct. 29 village meeting, where union members packed the meeting room and spilled into the hallway. Nasierowski did not respond for comment by press time.
Though he most likely won’t be mayor when the next contract needs negotiating, Oliner said that the personal touch is necessary to break the ice. “Because we are such a small village the most important thing is direct contact,” he said, noting he became involved in the discussions. “It’s all in the detail,” Oliner added.