HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-19-2006 Teamsters/City Reach Wage Agreement �4SOU r�8�`FO
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Office of the Mayor
MEDIA RELEASE
December 19, 2006
3:10pm
Contact: Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications & Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-1564
Jeffrey Jankowski, Deputy City Attorney, 235-9241
Jim Szucs, Teamsters Business Agent, 234-6031
TEAMSTERS/CITY REACH WAGE AGREEMENT
In a joint announcement today, City and union officials reported that a new four-year
agreement has been reached. Following several months of negotiations and meetings, the
agreement was presented to the Teamster membership and ratified. This agreement affects
employees across several City departments including Public Works Divisions and the Parks &
Recreation Department.
The four-year deal commences on January 1, 2007 and ends on December 31, 2010. The
agreement includes benefits and working conditions with a one year agreement for wages. It
provides for a pay increase of$0.38 in 2007. The City and Union members will reconvene
during the summer of 2007, after the General Assembly completes its work,to negotiate future
wages.
The City's negotiation team, which included City Council members Ann Puzzello and
Ery Kuspa and City Council Attorney Kathy Cekanski-Farrand, was headed by Deputy City
Attorney Jeffrey M. Jankowski. Mr. Jankowski commented that, "The Teamsters understand the
economic strain that the tax law changes are causing city revenues. They bargained in good faith
with this understanding."
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After negotiations ended, a team headed up by City Controller Catherine Fanello met
with individual work groups to explain how the state law changes affected each one of their
departments and the city as a whole. "The Teamsters asked good questions and were strong
advocates for their organization," said Ms. Fanello. "They demonstrated the willingness to
compromise,which is critical to successful collective bargaining. The Teamsters abandoned
many of their bonus programs so that those dollars could be utilized to increase base wages."
According to Gary Gilot, Public Works Director,the new agreement will help the City
upgrade the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery to the citizens of South Bend, while
improving the working environment for City employees. "We are constantly redesigning our
procedures, re-tooling our process, retraining where needed, and reorganizing where necessary,"
said Mr. Gilot. `By anticipating and adapting to present and future needs we are more efficient
in the use of our resources. The new agreement continues to provide financial incentives and
opportunities for training and increasing the skills of the workforce."
Janice Hall, Human Resources Director, stated her belief that as a service organization,
"our people are our greatest assets." She acknowledged that there were a lot of unsung heroes
who plow the streets or clean up after storms and keep the city running, and she was personally
glad to see them work through the difficult issues presented in this particular negotiation. She
praised their professionalism and creativity at the bargaining table.
The consensus between City and Teamster officials was that the negotiations were
conducted with the utmost professionalism. Mayor Luecke commented that both parties had
differences but that they worked hard to get past those differences and to reach an agreement that
was mutually beneficial. He was hopeful that the 2007 Legislative Session would bring about a
brighter revenue future for South Bend than is projected at the current time. "With the economic
incentives that remained in place for training, the citizens will continue to enjoy the benefits of
receiving better, more effective and efficient services,"the Mayor said. "Strategically, we are
spending public dollars wisely."
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