After years of wage freezes to help the city of Kent during rough economic times, public works and parks employees want a higher pay raise than what city negotiators are offering.
A couple dozen employees showed up and several spoke during the Nov. 15 City Council meeting to let leaders know they don’t feel appreciated for the work they do based on offers so far during negotiations with Teamsters Local Union 117 on a new three-year contract for 2017 through 2019.
”We have a sea of blue out here tonight because they don’t feel appreciated,” said Josh Harris, a public works maintenance worker as he spoke to the council and looked out to his fellow employees in their blue city shirts. “We are in negotiations and we are hearing from management that we don’t think you guys are worth the investment. We are here to ask City Council, (Chief Administrative Officer) Derek (Matheson) and the mayor do you think we’re worth it?”
The current three-year contract expires Dec. 31 with Teamsters 117 for the nearly 190 employees in parks, public works and facilities.
“We’ve been meeting regularly since September and we’ll continue to meet regularly until we reach agreement,” Matheson said in an email in response to the comments by public works and parks employees at the council meeting.
Matheson came away impressed with the showing of union support.
“Our Teamsters did a nice job, ” Matheson said. “The turnout was impressive and each of the speakers was eloquent. Our Teamsters work hard for the city every day. Collective bargaining can be tough, but I’m confident we’ll come to an agreement that works for the city and union.”
City streets, vehicles, water, sewers and parks all fall under the parks and pubic works departments.
“We are the backbone of the city of Kent government,” said Robert Lovell IV, a public works field supervisor. “Right now we are in the middle of negotiations and there are a lot of questions and rumors going around, so we wanted to come up here and let you guys know our side of things.”
Lovell explained that the city asked employees to accept wage freezes starting in 2008 during tough economic times. Employees also agreed to take five days off without pay to help the struggling city budget.
But now that city sales, property and other tax revenues are way up, employees want a bit more than what the city is offering over the next three years. Union leaders also said city negotiators told them in the previous years they would get pay raises for accepting the wage freezes.
“When the economy was tough, the city asked us to take no wage increases and to take furlough days,” said Adam Barker, shop union steward and parks maintenance worker, during a phone interview. “They made a verbal commitment to makeup for us when times were better. Times are better now and we don’t think they have honored their commitments.”
Barker said employees received a cost-of-living increases of 2 percent or less in each of the last three years after not getting any cost-of-living increases the previous five years.
“There was no makeup the last time and we agreed that was all they could do,” Barker said about negotiations in 2013. “This time the financial situation is stronger. We are trying to not let the commitments go away.”
Matheson declined to reveal specifics of the wage increases offered by the city.
“We’re not going to release our proposals publicly because we want to respect the bargaining process by bargaining at the bargaining table and not in the media,” Matheson said.
Barker said he expects a deal can be reached.
“They’re offering increases, we’re asking for a little bit more,” Barker said. “I like our chances. The city has been more than fair in negotiations, we’re just trying to get a little bit further.”
Annual base salaries for public works and parks employees who do maintenance and field supervisor jobs range from about $41,000 to $76,000, according to city Finance Department staff.
Both sides have met weekly since September and return to the table on Nov. 29.
“Once we reach agreement and commit it to writing, the council will consider it in an open public meeting,” Matheson said.
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