Quincy approves contract with employee union
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 4 months AGO
The Quincy City Council (Quincy City Hall is pictured) has ratified a contract between the union representing public works employees and the city.
FILE PHOTO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | December 1, 2022 2:08 PM
QUINCY — Quincy city officials and the Teamsters Union local representing the city’s public works employees have reached an agreement on a new three-year contract. The Quincy City Council approved the contract on a 4-0 vote during a special meeting Nov. 28.
City administrator Pat Haley said in a later interview that the contract replaces one that expired at the end of 2021 and was extended a year while city and union representatives worked on a new one.
“(Negotiations) may take months,” Haley said. “In this case, it took the entire year. We had to go through mediation.”
The contract includes a 4% wage increase for employees, retroactive to July, a 4% wage increase effective January 1 and a 3.5% wage increase effective January 1, 2024.
“That gives us some predictability on our wage costs going into the future,” Haley said.
Employees covered under the agreement received a one-time $800 signing stipend in addition to the wage increases.
“It represents some lost wages. Those are wages that would’ve been paid if we had come to an agreement sooner,” he said.
The two sides were close to an agreement late last year, Haley said, but the surge in inflation sent them back to the negotiating table.
“Most of the contract, from year to year, doesn’t change much,” he said.
The contract continues a policy where the city pays the employee premium for union-sponsored health insurance, and sets a new cap on the premium. If the premium exceeds that cap, the city will cover half the additional cost, with the rest paid for by the employee.
The contract also includes a memorandum of understanding stipulating that it will cover union clerical employees until a separate contract can be negotiated for them. Haley said those negotiations will start this month.
Not all of the provisions of the existing contract apply to clerical employees, Haley said, and some provisions that would affect clerical employees don’t apply to other workers. He cited the example of continuing education.
The new contract contains provisions for additional compensation for employees who meet certification and continuing education requirements. Haley said the new clerical employee contract will have a similar clause, but one tailored to them.
“It will be small changes, but nevertheless different,” Haley said.
Cheryl Schweizer may be reached at [email protected].
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway
EPHRATA — The grass is starting to turn green, the trees are starting to leaf out, construction crews are starting to build roundabouts – hey, it’s spring. At least one roundabout project is in its final phase, held over from fall 2025. The intersection of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way will be closed the week of April 6 to allow crews to install permanent lights. “This really is the final (closure),” wrote Grant County Administrator Tom Gaines in a media release. “The roundabout will close at 6 a.m. Monday, and we plan to reopen by Friday, possibly sooner if the work finishes early.”
Ybarra announces run for Washington Senate
QUINCY — State Representative Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, has announced his candidacy for the Washington Senate. If he’s elected, he would replace Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who announced her retirement in March.
Othello Community Museum to open April 25
OTHELLO — With a couple of new exhibits, a new heating-cooling system, rearranged displays and a thorough cleaning, the Othello Community Museum will open for the summer April 25. The goal, said Molly Popchock, museum board secretary, is to operate for a full season.