After a six-week strike, SEIU Local 284 reports that Hastings Public Schools food service workers reached a tentative agreement with ISD 200. According to a statement issued by the union, workers reviewed details of the plan on March 24th, and members voted to ratify the agreement, ending the historic strike. Terms of the one-year contract are above the district’s last offer, and include wage improvements and step movement for all eligible members, one-time payments of $800 a year, and a clause to maintain the district’s contribution to health insurance, that will result in lower increases than other bargaining units. A statement from the District said, that while the process has been long, and both sides engaged in what they felt they needed to do in the best interest of their respective organizations, the District has shifted its focus to the future. The ISD 200 School Board will review the contract for ratification at their meeting on Wednesday, March 29th, and the workers are expected to return to work on Thursday, March 30th.
