Ratified and Signed!

On July 12th, we ratified our first collective bargaining agreement, and Duke signed it on the 18th. This is a HUGE milestone in the life of our union, and it came on the heels of such heartfelt testimony from many of our coworkers on how the union has already improved their work lives and will continue to do so once the raises and other terms of our agreement are implemented.

In this contract, which you can view here, we won:

• 5.2% raises in the first year for the median salary in the unit and up to 8.7% for those making the least, plus ongoing raises for everyone that exceed historical wage increases offered by Duke

• Increased vacation time

• Commitment to minimize overtime and develop manageable work plans in the event of long vacancies

• Guarantees that bargaining unit positions won’t be outsourced to contractors or outside companies

• Guarantees that remote workers won’t be pulled back into the office

• Freedom to go to medical and care appointments without taking sick time

• Grievance and arbitration procedures so the union can fight on your behalf if you are harassed, discriminated against, disciplined without adequate cause, or feel your rights under the contract were violated

• Clear promotion guidelines

• An ongoing voice in issues that concern our members through the Labor-Management Committee

• Obligation to give notice of and consider alternatives to any proposed layoffs with all staff

• More humane probationary period for new employees

• Much more!

Thank you again to everyone who helped make this happen! If anyone has any questions about our rights under the contract or how to exercise them if you don't think management is following the contract, please don't hesitate to reach out.