ALBANY, N.Y.—After going five years without a contract, New York State Thruway workers have reached a 
tentative deal. Members of Teamsters Local 72, which represents about 2,500 toll collectors, maintenance workers, and others such as seasonally employed snowplow drivers, are expected to ratify it by Nov. 30, state negotiator Joe Bress told the Thruway Authority’s board Nov. 13. The proposed contract will run until June 2022 and raise workers’ pay 2% a year, retroactive to 2015, according to details posted on Local 72’s Web site. Workers will have to pay a higher share of their health-insurance costs, but the authority will raise its contribution to help cover those costs from $320 to $407 a month. Employers hired in the future will have to pay somewhat more for health insurance, and will also not get free E-ZPasses or similar toll discounts. Thruway workers’ salaries generally range from $12 to $31 per hour, according to state records obtained by the Albany Times-Union. Read more
