City council approves labor contract

CHENEY — The City Council approved a new three-year contract with local Chapter 270-C of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union at its March 23 meeting, granting a pay raise each year along with several language changes.

The contract — which runs Jan. 1, 2021 – Dec. 31, 2023 — provides a 1.25% wage increase for 2021, retroactive to Jan. 1. A 1.25% wage increase over 2021 levels is provided in 2022, and 1.25% over 2022 levels in 2023 is also included.

City Administrator Mark Schuller told the council the wage increase for 2021 was included in this year’s budget.

The contract also includes several language changes, the largest of which is language dealing with “union security.” The new section “recognizes the Washington State Council of County and City Employees, AFSCME, Council 2 and its affiliated locals (hereinafter UNION) as the sole and exclusive bargaining representative in all matters concerning wages, hours and other conditions of employment for all employees described in the recognition clause.”

The language also allows the city to deduct union dues from an employee and union member’s wages at their request as well as acknowledging that an “employee may revoke his or her authorization for payroll deduction of payments to the Union by written notice to the Union and the Employer in accordance with the terms and conditions of their signed authorization card.”

Both language additions stem from a June. 27, 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision determining that all public employees are entitled to work without having to pay union dues or agency fees.

The three-year contract also added language stipulating that all snow plowing of Cheney streets and parking lots is “primarily to be performed by AFSCME 270-C Bargaining unit members,” but that in emergencies such times when union employees are not available, non-union city employees may perform those duties.

In project-related moves, the council approved a resolution allowing the city to apply for street funding from the Spokane Regional Transportation Council’s Surface Transportation Block Grant program. SRTC has set aside $6 million in funds for street preservation projects.

Public Works Director Todd Ableman said they reviewed several potential projects and settled on pavement grinding and overlay work on Washington Street from West 6th Street to State Route 904. The project would finish work begun several years ago on the city’s main route to Eastern Washington University, done in stages along Betz Road from SR 904 to Washington, down Washington to Oakland and just recently from Oakland to West 6th Street.

“Grants scores higher if you have a higher rated road,” Ableman said. “I think that this would be a stronger application than some of the others.”

Councilman Paul Schmidt, who is the city’s representative to the SRTC board, agreed.

“This is one of the areas the SRTC board is really favoring, preservation,” he said. “There’s a lot of competition for the money. $6 million seems like a lot, but it really isn’t.

Council also approved a three-month extension of its loan agreement with the state Department of Ecology for the city’s Reclaimed Water Engineering Design (purple pipe) project. The city has received $1.418 million in a DOE loan to produce design plans and specifications for its reclaimed water facility, an agreement set to expire March 30.

Ableman said the resolution would extended the agreement to June 30 in order to complete the DOE-approved final plans and specifications.

Council also held its second reading of a pair of ordinances dealing with residential occupancy and landscaping. While no changes or comments have been received on residential occupancy, Ableman said one change was made to the landscaping ordinance to include consideration of the use of artificial turf as another method for reducing the use of natural grass that requires irrigation.

Council also held all three readings and final passage of Ordinance Y-3, a 2021 salary ordinance the enacts provisions of the AFSCME contract approved earlier in the meeting.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.