Newark Public Library workers took home a win on Wednesday night that included 15% to 28% pay increases for various staffing positions and achieved the highest-paid contract in recent memory after fighting 1.5 years for a new employment agreement.

The Public Library Board of Trustees unanimously approved the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the AFSCME Local 2298, the union representing about 70 Newark Public Library employees, at its Wednesday evening Zoom meeting.

The three-page MOA, which was obtained by TAPinto Newark, is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2024 and runs through Dec. 31, 2026.

During negotiations, library workers had called for a minimum salary of $40,000 – a starting compensation that Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka has claimed all full-time city workers earn. Baraka has since cl

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