AUGUSTA (Portland Press Herald) – Thousands of Maine government employees will receive pay raises, more time off and increased parental leave in the new year.

Gov. Janet Mills’ administration and the Maine Service Employees Association Local 1989 have ratified four contracts covering 9,000 employees, including those who work in administrative services, operations and maintenance.

It’s not clear if all four contracts are identical. At least some of the contracts include a 6% pay increase beginning immediately in 2024, an $800 bonus payment in February and an additional 3% pay bump starting in July.

Other benefits include a childcare reimbursement of up to $2,000 dollars of certain workers, increased mileage reimbursement and increased longevity pay after five years of work.

“We applaud MSEA members’ ratification of these new contracts, which demonstrates our commitment to providing competitive wages and benefits for State of Maine employees,” said Kirsten Figueroa, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services in a press release sent out by the department Tuesday.

Members of the MSEA have been pushing for pay increases, saying state employee compensation lags the private sector and is the reason for large numbers of vacant positions in state government.