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MGE
union approves contract The
office workers union at Madison Gas and Electric Co. voted to accept a new
three- year labor contract Friday, less than two weeks after the old deal
expired. Monthly health insurance premiums will not increase for members,
and current workers will retain their defined-benefit pension plans, said Chris
Fujioka, chief steward for the Office Professionals and Employees Union, Local
39. Under the deal, future employees will no longer get the old pension
plan. They will instead enroll in a 401(k) plan, which Fujioka said was
"very generous." MGE will grant a 10 percent wage increase over the three- year life
of the deal, which applies retroactively to May 1. "We think it was a very fair contract for them and good for
the company as well," said Joe Pellitteri, MGE's assistant vice president
of human resources and chief negotiator. The union's membership approved the contract, 61-15, Friday
morning. "Both sides had goals we needed to achieve, and both sides
felt like they achieved those expectations," said Fujioka, a customer
service representative for the company. The other labor union representing MGE employees remains without a
contract and will likely ask for a third one- week extension. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 2304,
will head back to the bargaining table Monday. Pellitteri said major differences remain unresolved with the IBEW.
IBEW president Dave Poklinkoski agreed. "(The OPEIU) agreed to some things we can't agree to,"
Poklinkoski said. Out of MGE's 740 employees, roughly 100 are represented by the
OPEIU. Another 260 belong to the IBEW. |
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