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The Board of Education unanimously approved a new contract for its classified employees Wednesday, ending a three-year battle over wages and health benefits. 

The contract, a compromise crafted by a state mediator, denies the 360 instructional assistants and office workers a raise during the three-year contract, but does offer them the opportunity to re-open negotiations on pay and health benefits each year. Classified employees haven’t received a raise since their last contract expired in 2001. 

Two weeks ago union members overwhelmingly approved the contract, which expires in 2007. 

“When you’re in a fiscal situation like this you end up holding your nose and swallowing hard to do the best job you can to make health and welfare benefits as strong as they can be,” said Ann Graybeal, president of the Berkeley Council of Classified Employees. 

Raises have eluded nearly all district unions in recent negotiations. Last year the Stationary Engineers, Local 39, signed a contract with no salary increases. The Berkeley Federation of Teachers has been without a contract since last summer and hasn’t had a pay increase since 2002.  

The current district long-range fiscal plan calls for no employee raises through 2006, but BFT President Barry Fike isn’t taking that as gospel. “What’s put into the budget to get county approval doesn’t necessary reflect reality,” he said. Fike is hoping that a cost of living adjustment in the proposed state budget will be passed down to employees. 

But District Superintendent Michele Lawrence didn’t see any pay hikes on the immediate horizon. “Unfortunately we can’t give employee raises when the school district is still in deficit spending,” she said, adding that essentially the union members got a raise by not having to pay more for health care costs which increased 12 percent last year. 

The contract comes at a difficult time for the classified employees. Graybeal estimated that over the past two years, 70 members were either laid off or had their hours reduced below the threshold required to receive full medical insurance. 

Dee Kraus, a union member who served on the bargaining team, has seen her hours drop, but said she was happy with how the contract turned out. Asked about not receiving a raise, she said “Ask me how I feel about that if the teachers get a raise.”s