MASSENA -- The New York Power Authority today approved a contract with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers that will raise salaries and require union members to increase contributions for their health insurance, according to NYPA.

The contract covers employees who work at the St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project in Massena.

Members of IBEW locals 2032 and 2104 overwhelmingly approved the contract earlier this month, according to NYPA.

The deal is retroactive to April 1, 2011, when the last contract expired, and runs through March 31, 2019. There will be wage increases beginning in 2014 and every year going forward, NYPA said.

At the same time, the parties agreed to gradual increases in health care contributions to reflect escalating costs. Changes in retiree health insurance coverage for both current employees and new hires include the assumption of some costs, eligibility thresholds and continuing plan terms in retirement, NYPA said.

The parties also agreed to increases in tuition reimbursement for craft workers and to work together to revitalize the power authority’s apprentice program, NYPA said.

“This agreement contains many provisions that address the concerns of our unionized workforce while allowing NYPA to achieve greater certainty over our labor costs,” NYPA President and CEO Gil C. Quiniones said in a prepared statement. “We look forward to strengthening our relationship with the IBEW.”