Grosse Pointe Librarians, Staffers Approve Contract

After hammering out a few details after the library board meeting on Feb. 5, the board and Grosse Pointe’s librarians and support staff ratified a new contract. Library union president John Clexton says more negotiations are in store. “The contract is good until December 31, 2018. Although short, we hope to begin soon to work on working on negotiations for when that expires,” he said.

The deal allows union members to keep the MESSA health insurance plan they preferred. They also settled on a 2.5 % wage increase until July 1, then a 2.0% raise after that. Members will also receive what the library board calls a “signing bonus", which Clexton calls “a coined term that is more accurately defined as an off schedule payment.”

He said the bonus will help members defray costs they incurred because they were working without a contract. The bonus will “help ease the burden of the two hardships members have had to face, since the expiration of the contract, the inability to receive retroactive wages and the 100% of insurance increase members have had to bear once the contract expired,” Clexton explained.

While union members will be back at the negotiating table as soon as fall, Clexton says they’re relieved to have a contract in place now. “We are thankful to the community for their support during this time,” Clexton said. “We are happy to continue to focus on working on behalf of the Grosse Pointe Community and doing what we do best - providing library service to all.”

Image via Grosse Pointe Public Library.