Authority workers have new contract
The federal fiscal year began Thursday with no government shutdown and, at the Washington County Housing Authority, 38 members of Teamsters Local 585 went to work under the terms of a new contract.
The rank and file, which includes maintenance and clerical workers and site managers, voted in September to approve the three-year pact, which the housing authority board also accepted. The bulk of the housing authority’s funding comes from taxpayer dollars through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The contract includes a 5 percent raise in wages during the first year, followed by 3 percent and 2.5 percent in successive years.
Union members authorized a strike as the expiration of the old contract loomed, but the sides avoided the scenario.
“We sat down and did some very serious bargaining and we were able to come to terms,” said Stephen Hall, executive director of the housing authority.