Leaders of The University of Toledo and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Ohio Council 8 and AFSCME Local 2415 will celebrate a new collective bargaining agreement at a luncheon tomorrow.

The event to celebrate the signing of a new three-year agreement will begin at noon Thursday, Dec. 18 in the Mahogany Room of the Radisson Hotel at The University of Toledo with a ceremonial signing of the contract at 1 p.m.

Members of AFSCME, which represents about 1,900 employees on the UT Health Science Campus, and the UT Board of Trustees both approved earlier this fall the agreement that runs from July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2017.

The contract calls for wage increases of 2.5 percent in year one and 1 percent in both years two and three and changes monthly health-care premiums to 20 percent as UT works to make premiums uniform across all collective bargaining units and employee groups.

The agreement provides employees and their dependents expedited primary care appointments at UTMC health-care facilities. It also establishes labor-management committees that will work to drive improvements in patient care and satisfaction.