University announces contract agreement with SEIU Local 715
Sept. 7, 2006
Members of SEIU Local 715 voted on Thursday to ratify an agreement with Stanford on a new three-year contract that includes, among other items, salary increases and enhancements to health care coverage.
SEIU Local 715 represents about 1,200 university technicians, maintenance staff and service workers.
Negotiations between Stanford and SEIU 715 began July 20. The union's contract expired Aug. 31. The bargaining teams reached a tentative agreement on Wednesday, Sept. 6, and union leadership recommended ratification by membership during an election on Thursday, Sept. 7.
The wage terms of the new agreement are:
- 4 percent, effective Sept. 1, 2006, plus a 1 percent bonus
- 3.75 percent, effective Sept. 1, 2007
- 3.25 percent, effective Sept. 1, 2008
Another key part of the agreement implements a proposal the university made in July to create a new Health Care Assistance Program. This benefit subsidizes an employee's regular contribution for employee-plus-dependent coverage under the least expensive medical plan. The subsidy is up to 100 percent for employees working three-fourths time or more with verified household incomes of $45,000 or less. There is a sliding-scale subsidy for employees with household incomes up to $60,000.
"I would like to thank the members of the negotiating teams, who worked so hard for nearly two months to reach this agreement," said Diane Peck, executive director of Stanford Human Resources. "I believe the new contract will help maintain Stanford's position as a first-rate employer in the Bay Area while providing a strong framework for the next three years, building on the foundation of excellence our staff continues to provide each and every day."