Providence and City Workers Union Agree To New Contract.

PROVIDENCE, RI — Providence city officials and the union representing city employees in several departments agreed to a new three-year contract, officials said.

The contract between The City of Providence and Laborers' Local 1033 begins July 1. It covers public employees at City Hall, the Department of Public Works, the Parks Department and more.

"I thank the leaders of Laborers’ Local 1033 for their commitment and partnership throughout this process," Mayor Jorge Elorza said in a statement. "By working together, we found important ways to better reflect our values and serve our city workforce while identifying savings and efficiencies that taxpayers deserve. I thank our negotiation teams for their hard work in coming to this agreement."

City officials said the agreement provides over $2 million dollars in savings in healthcare costs, expanding the city's workplace wellness program and maintaining provisions from the city's previous contract with the union to reduce the cost of new employees.

Union members will also see a 2.5 percent raise in year one, a 2.75 percent increase in year two and a 3 percent raise in year three.

Other provisions include recognizing Juneteenth as a city holiday and expanded language to reflect the prohibition of discrimination in two new areas: gender identity and expression as well as genetic information.

"I'm pleased to have presented this tentative agreement to our membership for consideration and appreciate the administration's acknowledgement of the contributions that members of Local 1033 provide to Providence residents," said Ron Coia, the business manager of Local 1033. "This agreement meets the needs of our members while simultaneously is fair to the taxpaying residents we serve."

The agreement was ratified by the general membership of Local 1033 on March 2. It will now be sent to the Providence City Council for vetting and ratification. If approved, the new contract will take effect on July 1, 2022 and expire on June 30, 2025.