CAAS staff sign in to vote on the proposed contract.

By Rand Wilson

Union members at the Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) overwhelmingly approved their new contract on Thursday, January 23 in a secret ballot ratification vote. Through the process of collective bargaining that involved CAAS management and agency staff, a new labor contract maintains a comprehensive health insurance plan at a low cost to employees while also improving wages.

Forty-seven CAAS staff are united in SEIU Local 888. Agency staff work as Head Start teachers and family advocates, housing advocates and community organizers to help low income residents in Cambridge and Somerville.

Anticipating increased health insurance costs, management and staff worked together to find ways to keep health insurance affordable for agency staff.  Union members are covered by a union administered plan where employees only contribute 11 percent of the cost of insurance premiums.

To balance a tight agency budget, management initially believed it would be necessary to increase employees’ contributions. Instead, the union found a new insurance provider willing to only raise premiums for the SEIU Local 888 plan by 4 percent.

“Our negotiating committee stayed strong and united,” said Michelle DaSilva, a 20-year CAAS employee and union leader.  “Having the expertise of Local 888 staff gave us the support we needed to maintain our excellent health care benefits and we will continue to pay only 11 percent of the costs toward our health insurance.”

“Having a union contract is good for our entire agency,” said CAAS Director David Gibbs. “Our wages and benefits allow us to have one of the very best staff retention rates. Given the strong commitment and high-quality services our staff provide, they are still seriously underpaid. Unfortunately, we can’t fix that without more state and federal funding for programs like Head Start.”

Members will receive a 1.7 percent cost of living increase in the first year, with a scheduled “wage re-opener” to consider increases in future years.

“The union contract gives our staff a grievance procedure and provides for periodic labor-management meetings where all of us can work together to resolve any issues,” Gibbs added.

In addition to CAAS staff, SEIU Local 888 unites school crossing guards, housing authority maintenance workers, and police dispatchers in Somerville. For more info, visit: www.seiu888.org.