“Very pleased to announce a new union agreement that will raise pay and modernize benefits for our Somerville School Custodians, represented by SEIU, Chapter 3 (NCFO 32BJ).

This newly signed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) covers Fiscal Years 2026 through 2028 and was ratified in June. It became effective following the Somerville City Council’s appropriation of funds for the agreement at their July 9 meeting.

Key provisions include:
• Wage adjustments in FY26 to achieve pay equity with City building custodians, followed by 2% cost of living adjustments for FY27 and FY28.
• Accelerated accrual rates for vacation time.
• Increased staffing flexibility to better support Somerville Public Schools operations, achieved through additional floater positions and the creation of new shifts to bridge the end of the school day and afterschool period.

Day in and day out, our school custodians keep our school buildings healthy, safe, and functioning so our educators and students can focus on what they are there to do: teach and learn.

I’m grateful to SEIU Chapter 3 and our City team for negotiating the strong, fair contract that our custodians and families deserve, and to the City Council for their support.

Thank you for your service to our community.”