Local 1245 rejected a proposal by the City of Roseville that IBEW members give up their 5% general wage increase for 2009.
The wage increase in 2009 was the regularly scheduled increase for the third year of the current four-year agreement. Because the agreement is a legally-binding document, city management cannot unilaterally roll back what it previously agreed to.
The union also rejected a city proposal that union members pay 5% into the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) for the last two years of the agreement (2009 and 2010).
However, because the city—like many other municipalities—is suffering a financial crunch in the current recession, Local 1245 agreed to put a less drastic city proposal out for a vote. On Jan. 22 members at the city voted 65-50 to pay 5% into the PERS system for 2009 only, relieving the city of that burden.
The union rejected any suggestion that it would open the contract up to renegotiation before the term is up, but Business Rep. Pat Waite said the union would be willing to “discuss” the city’s financial situation at the end of 2009.