July 17, 2014
By Stephanie West
AFSCME Local 1568 has unionized maintenance employees at Central Michigan University. Local 1568 now represents the university’s 188 service maintenance employees. On-campus custodial staff, groundskeepers, skilled trades and warehouse workers are now members of this AFSCME local.
The members ratified their first contract with the college. The contract gives workers three major benefits through June 30, 2017. This includes a two percent wage increase in the first year of the contract, an increase of 10 percent to the employee healthcare contribution, and adjustments to both categories in the second and third years that match those granted to professional and administrative employees.
A majority of the members were satisfied enough that they voted to pass the contract,
said AFSCME Local 1568 President Tobin Hope. The deal was “a good enough package to approve, so we did.” He also added that there were “compromises on both sides.”
