Somerville Municipal Employees Association, City Agree to New Contract

The city of Somerville and the Somerville Municipal Employees Association held a signing ceremony earlier this week after members of the union agreed to a new six-year contract with the city, according to an announcement from the mayor's office.

The Somerville Municipal Employees Association represents about 250 city employees, including Department of Public Works workers, library workers, school nurses, non-school custodians, information technology workers and clerical workers.

The union's three collective bargaining units, A, B and D (there is no Unit C) and the city agreed on a contract that covers a six-year term from 2010 to 2016, the announcement says.

As part of the agreement, workers will get a 14 percent wage increase, retroactively effective from 2010 until 2016.

It also reforms overtime pay and health insurance matters and gives snow removal crews a guaranteed six hours of rest within a 24-hour period during snow emergencies, the announcement says.

The new agreement comes about a year after the city agreed to a . In 2011, the city reached contract agreements with police unions, school custodians, crossing guards and 911 operators, according to a document provided by the mayor's office.

In November of 2012, the Somerville Board of Aldermen approved pay raises for non-municipal employees, but aldermen didn't approve a modest pay raise for themselves. Some said they wouldn't do so until the city reached a contract resolution with the Somerville Municipal Employees Association.