MASSENA - Employees of Massena Public Library have a new four-year contract.

The Massena Town Council unanimously approved the contract at Wednesday night’s meeting. Library employees organized under Teamsters Local 687 over a year ago, and had been negotiating a contract with the town for several months.

MPL staff will receive no retroactive wage increase for 2011, and 1.5 percent for 2012, 2013 and 2014. Current employees will not have to contribute to health coverage, but hires after Jan. 1, 2012 must pay 5 percent of their insurance premium.

The library staff had approved the contract prior to Wednesday’s meeting. Mr. Gray said the contract closely mirrored one employees in the Massena Town Hall received several months ago. He did not have the total cost of the new contract available after Wednesday’s meeting.

“We didn’t get everything the town wanted,” Mr. Gray said. “The employees didn’t get everything they wanted.”

Councilman John F. Macaulay said the town will begin working with Teamsters to find less expensive health coverage for employees. The contract states the town and Teamsters can jointly search for less expensive health care plans if they have equal or better coverage.

Teamsters Business Agent Mickey S. Smith could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.

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