Thanksgiving is the time of year that we join together with our family and friends to share a hearty meal and appreciate the important things in life. Therefore, we would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to our union family for all the work that you do. Our labor movement will always have battles to fight, but it is because of your dedication and persistence that we continue to forge forward.
First join me in congratulating Joe Checkley, our Youth Committee Chair, for being elected to our Local Union's Executive Board. Below you will find a few helpful ways to support our striking brothers and sisters over at Verizon who are now entering their 7th week. Also as you may have already heard, the state legislature is looking to raise the state minimum wage to $15 an hour and give unemployment benefits to striking workers.
We have some exciting news. After 5 months of negotiations, we have a 4 year tentative agreement with PSEG that will take us out to 2021. It calls for a 3% wage increase in each year of the 4 year agreement. Some adjustments were made with our Healthcare plan to avoid hitting the Excise Tax of 40% under the Affordable Care Act. Discussions on this tentative agreement will be held at all four Union meetings throughout the state during the month of March. A contract ratification vote is scheduled for March 24th at all work locations.
Eighty-seven years ago today, a great American, humanitarian, and civil rights activist was born; Martin Luther King, Jr. In his far-too-short life, the Reverend Dr. King appealed to the conscience of our nation, held our great country to its highest ideals, and challenged all of us to see, and treat, each other as brothers and sisters. This weekend, as we honor Dr. King and the movement he came to represent, let us also recommit ourselves to the ongoing pursuit of his dream: a world of equality and justice for all.
