KALAMAZOO—On April 18, the Western Michigan University Board of Trustees approved a three-year contract with WMU employees who are members of the Michigan State Employees Association.
The contract covers the 15 members of the union who work at the campus's Beam Power Plant. The agreement runs July 1 through June 30, 2016, and calls for wage increases in each of the three years of the contract.
The first year of the contract calls for a wage increase of 1 percent on July 1 and an additional 1.5 percent in January 2014. A 1.75 percent increase is slated for the second year of the agreement, while the third year would see a 2 percent increase.
Other changes in the new contract involve the number of annual leave hours that can be carried forward into future years as well as changes that impact new employees who will be covered by the contract.
The union membership ratified the agreement by unanimous vote Tuesday, March 26.