UW – IBU 2025-27 CBA – UW’s Last, Best, and Final Offer & Upcoming Ratification Vote
On May 28, 2025, UW met with the Inland Boatmen’s Union for its fourth and last scheduled bargaining session for the 2025-27 successor agreement. The current CBA expires June 30, 2025. At this session, the parties were unable to reach agreement on wages, the only remaining issue. The Employer presented its last, best, and final offer, and the contract is currently pending a ratification vote by the Union.
Prior to the Employer proposal, the Union proposed across-the-board wage increases of 2.5% on July 1, 2025 and 5% on July 1, 2026. Additionally, the Union proposed to incorporate the Employer’s proposed concept of a new top step to pay table BN, valued at approximately 2.5%. Regular employees who had been at the current top step for at least one year would move to the new top step on July 1, 2025, and all other employees would move to the new top step following current practice based on their progression start date. With the new top step and the Union’s across-the-board proposal, the Union has effectively proposed a 5% across-the-board increase for many bargaining unit employees on July 1, 2025, and 5% for all bargaining unit employees on July 1, 2026, totaling approximately 10% over the CBA’s two year duration.
Highlights of the UW’s last, best and final offer are summarized below:
The Employer proposed across-the-board wage increases of 3% on July 1, 2025 and 2% on July 1, 2026. Additionally, the Employer proposed a new top step to pay table BN, valued at approximately 2.5%. Regular employees who had been at the current top step for at least one year would move to the new top step on July 1, 2025, and all other employees would move to the new top step following current practice based on their progression start date. With the new top step and the Employers’ across-the-board proposal, the Employer has effectively proposed a 5.5% across-the-board increase for many bargaining unit employees on July 1, 2025, and 2% for all bargaining unit employees on July 1, 2026, totaling approximately 7.5% over the CBA’s two year duration.
In addition to the wage proposals outlined above, the parties have already aligned on language related to the following provisions that is also part of UW’s last, best and final offer:
- An increase in daily maintenance for injured employees from $65 dollars to $75 dollars
- Significant increases to the vacation accrual schedule including 3 additional days of vacation at the top of the schedule and faster progression to the highest accrual rates. See below:
- Increase in bereavement leave from 3 days to 5 days
- Memorializing the compensatory time MOU by moving it into the contract.