Local 500 city employees including front-line city workers who resurface roads, maintain water treatment plants, collect the city’s waste, and deliver other essential services will soon receive a raise of an average of 12.6%.
Part of a new, four-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) established the raise and an annual salary “step” increase and creates a citywide minimum wage of $16 per hour for seasonal and part-time workers, and $17 per hour for full-time employees.
Local 500 members also include customer service reps, taxpayer specialists and ambulance billing clerks, among other important jobs that keep the city running.
“What I hope that what we see over the next several years isn’t that we fall behind, once again, but that we become leaders in our region, in our country in terms of how we look out for our workforce with pay increases at high levels that make sure we represent all of you,” said Mayor Quinton Lucas.
Local 500 President Reginald Silvers praised the new CBA, adding it was a step in the right direction.
“The goal is recruitment, retention, and training, and we have solved some of those problems with these negotiations. Local 500 is grateful and appreciative,” he said.
The new agreement runs for four years, expiring April 30, 2026. Additional highlights include:
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Market-based salary adjustments on Aug. 1, 2022, for the current fiscal year; the average increase is 12.63%
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Step increases of 3%-4% during the next three fiscal years
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Annual longevity pay as a lump sum each December for members with 5+ years of service
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Increases in shift differentials, overtime meal allowances and tool allowances