MARQUETTE – Northern Michigan University’s AFSCME Local 1094 has ratified a new contract. The union, composed of approximately 133 maintenance, dining services and police employees, voted 61-30 in favor of the proposal.

The contract is retroactive to Oct. 1, 2010, and is subject to approval by the NMU Board of Trustees, which is expected no later than its next regularly scheduled meeting in September. It will remain in effect for three years from the date of the board’s vote, ending in 2014.

Under terms of the agreement, there will be no wage increase in the current year and either party may initiate an economic reopener with regard to wages and fringe benefits in the final two years. Retirement contributions remain the same for current employees, but will be modified for new hires. A pay-as-you-go plan was introduced as an alternative to a payback plan for union members to reimburse NMU for health care expenditures.