The Merced City Council ratified two less-than-generous union contracts Monday night with perhaps the city's most important employees -- firemen and policemen.
While all sides voiced their general satisfaction with the contracts' outcome, the austerity agreements, which froze wage increases among other things, came at a time when the troubled economy has forced the city to tighten its belt.
"We came to a very good agreement," said Merced City Manager John Bramble, about the contracts. "They understand our financial situation, and we understood their issues."
While the two agreements saw each union give concessions in the form of wage freezes, they were limited in duration and will be renegotiated within a short period.
The Merced Police Officers Association, which represents roughly 100 officers, agreed to a two-year contract with a wage freeze, but received a slight improvement in their medical coverage. The last contract the association signed was in 2006.
"I'm pleased with the outcome because there are a lot of cities faced with layoffs and work furloughs and reductions, and we were able to come to an agreement with the city where we're not losing anything," said Keith Pelowski, president of MPOA.
The Merced Fire Fighters Local 1479 of the International Fire Fighters Association, which represents 62 firefighters in Merced, signed a one-year contract, which also includes a wage freeze. The contract also includes an increase in out-of-pocket medical costs, said Jeremy Franklin, the secretary of the firefighters union.
Aside from minor concessions, the union was happy with the contract, said Franklin, especially with the economic situation as bad as it is. Most of all, they wanted to avoid layoffs, and they did, he said.
The two unions had been in negotiations with the city since late summer.
While neither union lost wages nor jobs in the new contracts, this is the first time in recent memory their contracts have included wage freezes.
These labor negotiations may now be over, but the city still faces some pending labor agreements that may be compounded by a rough budget year ahead.
The city already shed 74 jobs this year and it remains to be seen what next year's budget may mean for city workers. Bramble said it's still too early to say what the next budget year will mean for all the city's employees until some of the city's tax revenue comes in January.
The city is currently in negotiations with two other groups of city employees; those represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers and those workers not represented by a union.
Reporter Jonah Owen Lamb can be reached at (209) 385-2484 or jlamb@mercedsun-star.com.
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