The city of Buckley was able to come to an agreement with the Operating Engineers Local 302 union just before the Christmas holiday.
According to City Administrator Courtney Brunell, the union voted to approve the contract on Dec. 23, and the city council is expected to take action either Tuesday, Jan. 7 after print deadline, or Jan. 14.
An issue between the union and the city appeared to start a year ago, when the last contract was extended as details for a new one were being hashed out.
Brunell said that the city and union leaders came to an agreement last October, but the contract was voted down by the union body.
Then on Nov. 30, during the city’s annual tree lighting celebration, a dozen-or-so union members were on the sidelines with signs and passing out fliers to the public asking for “a fair contract.” However, there were no speakers at the event, nor did it appear the group was attempting to provide information about the contract they were offered and what terms they would agree to; union leaders declined to speak with The Courier-Herald.
On Dec. 10, the Buckley City Council chambers were filled with union members and supporters, and union leader Tony Frascone took the podium to address elected officials.
Frascone said that union employees are tired of watching non-union staff receive double-digit cost of living (COLA) adjustment percentages while they’re stuck at levels like 2% and 3% annually, especially at a time when inflation rose at a higher rate.
However, it appeared Frascone meant some non-union employee wage increases instead, as there were no double-digit COLA adjustments among non-union staff; previous budgets show that non-union employees received between 1% and 4.6% COLA adjustments over the last few years.
Brunell said that the wage increases came after some position mergers and after a market study showed some employees were being underpaid.
At the end of his public comment, Frascone said that union employees “would not work without a contract,” which elected officials took as a “veiled threat” for a strike if an agreement wasn’t made by Dec. 30.
Instead, a three-year contract was approved a week before the deadline.
Frascone again did not respond to requests for comment.
THE CONTRACT
While there are some differences between the contract proposed last fall and the one recently approved, Brunell said “It is very similar to the original”.
One of the major differences is that the approved contract is three years, not four.
Under this agreement, union workers will receive a 5% COLA adjustment this year, and a 4% adjustment in 2026. They will receive another 3% adjustment in 2027, with senior staff receiving an additional 3% (for a total of 6%).
The only change here is that the previous contract had a COLA adjustment of 2% in 2027, and then a 3% adjustment in 2028 (with senior staff also receiving an additional 3%).
Remaining the same is an additional 5% wage increase this year for the wastewater treatment plant supervisor, the police records clerk, the support services officer, and custodial staff.
Other changes include an increase to the Health Reimbursement Arrangement opt-out and the meal period and clothing and equipment allowances, plus a $1,000 base pay raise for the wastewater apprentice position.
