LYNN – A new four-year national labor contract forged between GE and 12 unions was ratified earlier this week and union leaders in Lynn were calling it a fair agreement.”Sixty-nine percent of those who voted locally were in favor of it,” said Jeffrey Crosby, president of IUE-CWA Local 201 in Lynn.Eleven other unions also voted to ratify the contract following negotiations in New York City. The IUE-CWA vote was 6,088 to accept and 1,657 to reject.According to Crosby, the contract translates to weighted increases for GE retirees, while new hires will keep approximately 80 percent of their current benefits.”We also were able to secure an increase in vacation time for new hires, and same wage package as last time,” he said. “The contract gives a substantial wage increase to current IUE-CWA members over four years.”The local wage package paid annually over the term of the contract is 3 percent the first year, then 2.5 percent during both the second and third years, and 3 percent the fourth year, plus cost-of-living adjustments and additional pay for those with skilled trades.”The biggest hit we took was in healthcare cost increases,” Crosby said, noting that payments for IUE-CWA members will double over the life of the contract. Those union members will eventually pay 20 percent of their healthcare costs with GE paying 80 percent.”Overall, we maintained considerably better benefits and we’re proud of that,” he said.Richard Gorham, spokesman for GE in Lynn, said the company considers the labor contract fair. “We’re definitely pleased that the union employees around the country agreed to ratify it,” he said. “We think it’s a very positive contract for both the employees and the companies in the different businesses.”