Unions Average 1.6% Wage Hikes in Summer Pacts

WASHINGTON — Led by relatively large gains for telephone and construction workers, first-year wage and benefit increases in major union contracts negotiated over the summer averaged 1.6%, the Labor Department reported today.

The 2% first-year wage gains negotiated on behalf of about 400,000 telephone workers plus 1986 pay hikes averaging 2.5% for construction workers were a contrast to first-year wage cuts of 5.5% taken by steel and aluminum workers in contracts negotiated earlier this year.

The relatively healthy increases for telephone and construction workers raised the average first-year increase to 1.3% for contracts negotiated on behalf of 1.85 million union workers the first nine months of 1986.