White Salmon City employees, uniformed and non-uniformed, will be receiving a 5% cost-of-living increase in wages and a reduction in hours needed to make full-time status among other amendments to two separate agreements between the city and Local 1533-W AFSCME AFL-CIO, approved at two consecutive meetings in January.
The agreements will last until Dec. 31, 2025, and outline terms of employment separately for police personnel and all other full-time employees.
Beyond the 5% increase in wages, the standard for making full-time employment was lowered from 40 hours to 32 hours. City Clerk/Treasurer Jan Brending told councilors the change was made in a 2017 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), but the new contract codifies those changes. It also applies other MOUs, including changes to sick leave and travel policies.
Only full-time employees are eligible for the benefits provided by the contract, which includes 40 hours of vacation time and city-paid insurance premiums under the Washington Family and Medical Leave Program, and city participation in the Washington Long-term Care Program, fees to be paid by the employee.
Other changes include the recognition of Juneteenth (June 19) as a federal holiday and allows for an increase of 40 hours of vacation time that can be carried over into the next year. It also enables an employee to deduct hours worked overtime on a given shift from the hours allotted for a scheduled vacation day within the same week.
Also included the 2022 agreement is language consistent with 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME that entitles all eligible employees to union benefits, whether they pay dues or not.
The agreement also does away with longevity pay, which previously allowed for a 1% increase in wages once an employee tops out at their current job classification.
City councilors separately approved a change in the city’s salary matrix, affirming the 5% increase and noting that management is also affected by the wage increases.
A recently approved and amended sick leave policy enables the mayor to not require use of paid sick leave hours for five days of quarantine for eligible employees who have received a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. Those eligible included those who have received their initial COVID-19 vaccine regimen and an additional COVID-19 vaccine booster.
The city currently has eight non-uniformed union employees.
The police contract adds a 5% premium for police officers who are performing training responsibilities.
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