City, Employee Unions Reach Tentative, One-Year Contract Extension

Mayor Michael Summers and three of the city's unions have reached a tentative agreement to extend their contracts until the end of 2013, the city announced in a press release Friday.

The current collective bargaining agreements were set to expire at the end of 2012. The unions involved in the extensions are the two local chapters of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the Fraternal Order of Police dispatchers’ union.

Summers said the negotiations began in October. The extension, which would keep wages and health care contributions frozen at the 2012 level, gives the city time to decrease costs and increase revenue. Summers said the city is facing significant cuts at the state level. It’s hard to give raises with less, he said. 

City Council will be asked to ratify these contract extensions in January. 

According to the press release, these unions make up about half of the city’s workforce. The city has seven bargaining units, and all of their contracts will be expiring in the next few months. 

To read the full press release, visit the city’s website.

For more:

• City Prepares for Round of Union Bargaining Agreements