UE Local 221 members at the Flynn Regional Box Office in Burlington, Vermont unanimously ratified a new three-year contract in June. The agreement includes wage increases of 3 percent each year for workers at the maximum rate, and annual raises of 4 and 5 percent for workers at lower rates. Before organizing with UE, wages at the Flynn ranged from minimum wage to just a dollar above minimum wage. By the end of
this contract, the Flynn workers’ fifth, the start rate will have reached $10.21 and the maximum rate $12.28.
Management brought forward proposals that would have limited UE members in their ability to take unpaid time off for personal and family reasons, a cherished right for the all-part-time workforce. Management took the proposal off the table after 100 percent of the members signed a petition reminding management that people who choose to work
part-time do so in order to have flexibility for themselves, not just to provide flexibility to management.
The local also won the right to conduct a 30-minute union orientation with new workers as part of their paid training – important in a shop with fairly high turnover of both workers and management. The negotiating committee consisted of Jeanne Berryman, Jonathan Kissam, and Ali Peterson.