CLASS Inc. workers reach settlement, avoid strike

July 29--LAWRENCE -- Workers at CLASS Inc., a nonprofit human services agency, reached a settlement with management early Saturday to raise wages and avoid another strike set to begin Monday.

CLASS Inc. employees went on strike earlier in July, calling for the Lawrence-based agency, which provides day care and training for people with disabilities, to negotiate a contract to increase wages and reduce high turnover among employees, according to Andrew Farnitano, spokesman for Service Employees International Union Local 509, which the workers are members of.

Employees and management reached a deal following a long night of bargaining that began Friday and spilled into the next day. The proposed resolution is a one-year contract with a 60-cent wage increase and other contract improvements, according to a press release.

"CLASS, Inc. workers fought hard and won a short-term contract with significant pay increases. We're glad that we were able to avoid a strike so we can continue to care for the people we serve, but we're not done organizing for higher wages to address the high staff turnover that impacts their care," Tom Baca of Lawrence, who has worked at CLASS Inc. for six years, currently as a driver, said in a statement.

Alfred Frugoli, president and chief executive officer of CLASS, called the negotiations "difficult and lengthy" and said they involved a number of issues.

"Thanks to the perseverance and hard work of the negotiating teams, a second work stoppage has been averted at this vital human services agency and program operations will resume on Monday without disruption," Frugoli said in a statement.

A Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service team was also called in to help.

"It was clear that both sides were looking for a way to bridge the differences," Frugoli said, adding that the federal team members "devoted themselves through many days and late-night sessions assisting the parties in the efforts to find common ground."

More than 100 agency workers went on a five-day, open-ended strike the week of July 9, following a failed attempt to reach an agreement with CLASS management after a negotiating session the week prior, the union spokesman said at the time.

Management had offered a one-year contract with a 40-cent per hour raise. The union asked for an extra $1 per hour, Farnitano said.

Workers nearly went on strike last year as well, but the two sides were able to come to an agreement on a one-year contract. Most of Class Inc. employees earn fewer than $15 per hour, according to Farnitano. Baca, for instance, previously told The Eagle-Tribune he makes $12.75 an hour.

CLASS workers received support from several area politicians during their strike earlier this month, including Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera and state Sen. Barbara L'Italien, D-Andover, who helped avert last year's strike by arranging for a federal mediator to join the negotiations.

Throughout the weeklong strike, they were also joined by politicians including State Reps. Diana DiZoglio, D-Methuen, Juana Matias, D-Lawrence, and Frank Moran, D-Lawrence; the two Democratic candidates for governor, Jay Gonzalez and Bob Massie; congressional candidates Jeffrey Ballinger, Alexandra Chandler, Beej Das, Rufus Gifford, Dan Koh, Bopha Malone, and Lori Trahan; state Senate candidates Mike Amano, John Drinkwater, Joe Espinola, and Barry Finegold; and state representative candidate Marcos Devers.

Friday's settlement will avert another strike, which workers had planned to begin Monday. CLASS had contingency plans in place to continue operations should the strike have gone through, according to a press release.

"This was a deal worth working late into the night for. I was proud to join SEIU Local 509 members and negotiators last night at the bargaining table with CLASS Inc., and I think the agreement we hashed out as a group after six hours is a victory for both the workers and the people they serve," L'Italien said.

CLASS Inc. workers first formed a union with SEIU Local 509 in 2014 and won an initial contract with workplace protections and significant raises for workers, who were then earning wages as low as $8 per hour, according to a press release. Last year's near-strike resulted in a one-year contract that included a 5 percent wage increase.

While L'Italien noted this was the second consecutive year the two sides were able to hash out a compromise to benefit workers' and clients' needs, she said "there is more work to be done and I look forward to continuing the effort to make sure both workers' and clients' needs are met."

Frugoli, in his statement, said with the state minimum wage set to $15 an hour over the next several years, "it is imperative that the state support human services providers with rate increases proportional to the increase in minimum wage."

Baca described the contract negotiations as a "win" for CLASS workers.

"Since we formed a union in 2014, we've shown that every time workers stand together, we win higher wages and better care for the people we serve. This was a win for us and we will continue to be victorious, as we stand united and undeterred," Baca said.

Follow Lisa Kashinsky on Twitter @lisakashinsky.

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