The nearly 400 UIW members at Save The Queen (Queen Mary) in Long Beach, California are the proud benefactors of a new three-year collective bargaining agreement.

Approved in July by an overwhelming margin, the new pact boasts an impressive array of features including annual wage hikes for tipped as well as non-tipped employees, yearly increases in pensions and the maintenance of health benefits at previously negotiated levels.

With respect to certain work rules, the new accord calls for:

Reduced “pointing” for calling -out during special events,

Clearing the seniority list for call-ins, and

Maintenance of no-cost meals for employees

Each of the foregoing features will remain in effect for the duration of the contract. Should work requirements change going forward, representatives from the union and the company have agreed to meet to work out the specifics of implementation and potential impact on the membership prior to any changes.

“I am extremely excited about this new collective bargaining agreement, despite the complexity of negotiations’,” said UIW National Director Kate Hunt, who also served on the bargaining committee that forged the new pact. “The current wage landscape in California presented everyone on the bargaining committee with some unique challenges, but thanks their willingness to negotiate in good faith and work through our differences, we were able to fashion what I believe to be a great contract for all parties – the membership as well as the company.

“Kudos are in order for each member of our negotiating committee,” Hunt concluded. “I thank each of them for their dedication and hard work. They did a fantastic job.” In addition to Hunt, the UIW Bargaining Committee was comprised of UIW Reps Laura Lopez and Lupe Murillo, Gilberto Meza, Wilfredo Matamoros, Juan Carlos Amado, Adrienne Asis, and Maria Martinez.