AUBURN - McQuay International workers, on a third vote, approved a new contract that will give them a 9-percent raise over three years.

The 163-139 vote also means the workers have agreed to go to a 10-hour, four-day-per-week schedule. The deal makes overtime voluntary for most positions.

Members of the Paper, Allied, Industrial, Chemical & Energy Workers Union adopted the contract Monday. They had voted twice in recent weeks to reject McQuay's offer. "I feel it's a satisfactory contract," said union president Gerri Cregg.

PACE International representative Michael Bellmore also helped negotiate the contract. Neither he nor McQuay officials could be reached Tuesday night.

The company will give 3-percent raises each year of the contract, which will be retroactive to Jan. 31.

Under the new agreement, workers will still be able to split up their vacation time, a practice the company wanted to stop. Cregg said the company agreed to allow it to continue so long as employees did not take all of their time in half-day increments. McQuay also agreed to allow 10 percent of its workforce to take vacations in the summer; previously, that figure was 5 percent.

Cregg said she has tried to anticipate problems with child care and transportation - two of the biggest issues the change to a four-day week will raise.

Cregg called the Finger Lakes Child Care Council, who will help anyone with problems make new arrangements. She also contacted CENTRO regarding bus service to the plant on Technology Park Boulevard. McQuay, which produces air conditioning, heating and ventilation components, is Auburn's largest manufacturer. It has 435 employees.

Staff writer Louise Hoffman Broach can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or louise.hoffman@lee.net