Garden Wage Talks Hit Snag | Richmond News

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is locked in tense contract talks with its union, the International Association of Machinists, over wages and dues collection. CEO Brian Trader insists negotiations have been fair and forward-moving, citing six face-to-face meetings and 23 of 25 points agreed upon — but the union counters that the garden’s wage offer dropped from 75 cents to 52 cents per hour, calling it backward bargaining. The union demands a $2.10 raise from current average pay of $17.52/hour. Trader blames shifting union proposals for the wage adjustments, arguing they’re not regressive — and says union disruptions like canceled events are costing the garden tens of thousands in lost revenue, money that could fund wages. Union worker Ella Fishman admits the disruptions hurt, but says they were necessary to push for change, especially since union staff play key roles in community outreach. No official timeline or resolution is yet available as talks continue. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/b6c8d5cab6c1e0e1