The union representing RISD custodians, groundskeepers and movers said Monday evening that it reached a tentative agreement with the school, following a more than two-week long strike.
The 62 striking RISD workers represented by Teamsters Local 251 will vote on the school’s offer Tuesday. The union said it would not provide details about the agreement until after the membership votes on the contract.
RISD and the workers have been battling over wages in a standoff that has been tense and public in recent weeks. The workers have been asking RISD to raise their minimum wage from less than $14 an hour to $20 an hour, and have said they’ve suffered injuries and labor violations. The school has called the wage demands “excessive.”
The intersection at Washington Place and N Main St. in downtown Providence will be quieter Tuesday — the union said it planned to end the picket line it has organized there since April 7.
Workers hugged each other and cried when union negotiators told the picketing crowd they had reached a tentative agreement. They deflated the giant pinstriped pig balloon meant to represent capitalist greed that they had used to protest for weeks. They packed up drums, bullhorns and signs.
Negotiations are likely to come to a formal end tomorrow following a vote at the union hall. Per union bylaws, 51% percent of members present at the vote need to vote yes in order for the contract to be adopted.
RISD emailed a statement saying it was “pleased” about the tentative agreement.
Vera Correira, a RISD custodian of ten years makes $15 an hour. She said if the school has indeed proposed raising the minimum wage to $20 an hour, it will change her life.
“It’s gonna make everything better,” Correira said. “For me, for my kids.”
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