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A three-year tentative contract agreement between the University of California and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union was reached on Wednesday after nine months of negotiating and a week after AFSCME held a one-day strike.

“It’s an important victory for service workers and thousands of their allies, including students, community leaders and faculty who supported during the strike,” said Craig Merrilees, director of AFSCME Local 3299.

The contract includes conditional wage increases – a 3 percent wage increase for all union members effective in October and a 3 percent increase in 2006-2007, as well as a 4 percent increase in 2007-2008, according to a UC press release.

Wage increases will be “consistent with the university’s budget compact with the governor and subject to final state funding appropriations in each year,” said Noel Van Nyhuis, a spokesman for the UC Office of the President.

Other wage increases were in the tentative contract that are not conditional on California’s budget compact with the governor, said Faith Raider, a spokeswoman for AFSCME.

The tentative contract allows for a $250 retroactive lump sum to be paid out to each worker as soon as the contract is signed, Raider said.

The tentative agreement also allows workers to eat for free in the dining halls, Raider said. Food service workers are currently required to eat in cafeterias, and have money taken out of their paychecks for food costs.

The tentative contract also gives night workers a premium, Raider said.

Because the wage increases are not guaranteed yet and are contingent on the passage of the governor’s proposed budget based on the compact, AFSCME members reserve the right to re-open the bargaining process if promises of wage increases are not upheld, and to strike again if necessary, Raider said.

The tentative contract will not be signed until AFSCME members vote on the agreement, which will take place at UC campuses over the next few weeks.

AFSCME members held a one-day strike on April 14 at the nine UC campuses and five medical centers to protest contract negotiations that have been occurring since July 2004.

The UC has said the strike did not effect the contract negotiations.

“Our wage proposals are consistent with the (governor’s) contract and dependent with state funding. The strike didn’t change that,” Van Nyhuis said.

AFSCME is still looking to include greater opportunities for promotion in their contract.

“We’re still struggling with the university over ... creating more upward mobility and promotional opportunities for service workers. Too many feel like they’re stuck in dead-end jobs,” Merrilees said.

The university expects the contract to be agreed upon, Van Nyhuis said.