The 350 members of UWUA Local 393, who provide safe and reliable water to more than 1.5 million residents and businesses on Long Island, ratified a historic 8-year collective bargaining agreement with the Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA). The new agreement, which runs from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2033, delivers the strongest wage package in three decades, secures vital protections for union positions, and enhances work-life balance for members.
Local 393 President Barbara Yatauro called the agreement “the most lucrative and member-focused contract we’ve achieved in 30 years.” Members voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratification on June 23, 2025, after the memorandum of agreement was signed on June 11. For the first time in over 50 years, Local 393 ratified its contract on time, ensuring members received wage increases starting July 1, 2025.
“This contract is not just about dollars and cents — it’s about dignity,” Yatauro said. “Our members wanted to be seen as equal human beings, with the same respect and opportunities as management. We achieved that.”
Protecting core union rights
The 8-year agreement locks in guaranteed wage increases of 4% in each of the first two years, followed by 3% annually through 2033, along with a $2,500 signing bonus. It also improves night differentials, clothing and meal allowances, and adds a new senior mechanic classification and a bump in starting pay for assistant electricians.
Perhaps most critically, Local 393 successfully defended long-standing overtime and pay provisions after the employer sought sweeping changes. SCWA had proposed requiring employees to physically work 40 hours in a week to qualify for overtime, eliminating double time, and transitioning one of the local’s higher-paid positions to management.
“These were absolute deal breakers,” said Yatauro. “By securing an eight-year deal, we protected overtime, preserved our union positions, and gave our members long-term stability.”
The contract also incorporates 22 side agreements negotiated in recent years, consolidating all terms in a single collective bargaining agreement. “Memory fades, but the CBA remains,” Yatauro said.
Focus on work-life balance
Members placed a high priority on improving their quality of life. The new agreement delivers:
- Expanded summer hours to benefit as many members as possible;
- One remote workday per week, restoring a benefit that management retained after the pandemic;
- Access to the company’s Flexible Spending Accounts for health and childcare, starting in January 2026;
- Equalized optical benefits and a $5,000 insurance buyback, matching management benefits.
“These changes give our members the flexibility and respect they’ve earned, creating a better balance between work and home,” said Yatauro.
A new safety procedure was also added, ensuring employees can elevate concerns directly to the safety manager if a hazardous condition is not resolved by their supervisor.
Member-driven bargaining
Local 393’s approach to bargaining was rooted in unprecedented member engagement. The executive board — serving as the negotiating committee — spent all of 2024 meeting with every department, ensuring all 350 members had an opportunity to share concerns and priorities.
“This was the first contract for many of our newer members,” Yatauro said. “We didn’t just collect paper surveys—we met face-to-face with every department. It gave our members a voice, educated them about the process, and put pressure on management to take us seriously.”
While the main unit’s contract is now settled, the local continues to bargain for its laboratory members, a 25-member unit covered under a separate agreement.
“I am incredibly proud of this contract,” Yatauro said. “But I’m even prouder of the way our members came together, got involved, and made this win possible. This contract keeps our people strong, respected, and united for the next eight years.