2 Youngstown city employee unions agree to delay raises due to pandemic

YOUNGSTOWN — The city reached agreements with three department unions; two agreements delay wage increases due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Locals 2312 and 2726 were able to reach an agreement without mediation or fact-finding reports. The city and the Youngstown Police Ranking Officers Organization utilized a fact-finder but reached an agreement without arbitration.

All three contracts had expired within the last year.

City council approved the agreements at its Dec. 2 meeting. The contracts were approved by union members prior to going to city council, said Mayor Jamael Tito Brown.

AFSCME LOCAL 2312

AFSCME Local 2312 is the union for city hall clerks and currently has 61 active members. The previous contract expired April 30.

The parties agreed on no general wage increase for 2021. The delayed wage adjustments allow the city to better analyze the finances in 2021 and react to the ever-evolving pandemic, according to the contract's executive summary.

Effective January 2022, members will receive a 2 percent increase, which consists of the delayed pay increase plus the increase for 2022. Wage rates will increase by an additional 1 percent starting January 2023.

Interim Director of Finance Kyle Miasek said negotiations for these contracts started after the onset of the pandemic. The union agreed to delay pay raises for a year since the city is collecting less income tax during the pandemic, Miasek said.

"We were grateful they were helpful ... but we can't make any guarantees," Miasek said about the potential for future changes.

The parties agreed to a three-year contract effective Oct. 1, 2020, through Sept. 30, 2023.

AFSCME LOCAL 2726

AFSCME Local 2726 is the union for water department workers and currently has 83 active members. The union's contract also expired April 30.

The parties agreed on no general wage increases for 2020 and 2021. Members will receive a 3.5 percent increase — equivalent to the delayed wage increases plus the 2022 increase — starting January 2022.

The delayed wage adjustments allow the city to better analyze the city's financial health in 2021.

Delaying wage increases helps the city assess its financial situation in 2021 but was also caused by budget issues in the department, Miasek said.

To fund environmental sanitation projects in 2017, the city reduced water bills in the city by $10 and raised garbage bills by $10. As a result, the water department has lost about $2.5 million in revenue each year, Miasek said.

"The net impact on customers was zero, but it helped us fund those projects," Miasek said.

The water and garbage bill adjustments were reversed starting July 1 to raise water department funds and avoid employee cuts.

"It prevented the fund from going to the red," Miasek said.

The parties agreed to a three-year agreement effective through April 30, 2023.

Youngstown Police Ranking Officers Organization

The Youngstown Police Ranking Officers Organization has 42 active members, and the previous contract expired Dec. 31, 2019.

Representatives of the city and the union began bargaining in 2019 but were unable to reach an agreement. The parties went to a fact-finder in June and were able to reach an agreement without going into arbitration.

Both parties agreed to maintain the 15 percent rank differential with Youngstown Police Association for 2020 and 2021. Starting Jan. 2022, members will receive a minimum adjustment that amounts to a 1 percent wage increase.

If members would receive a greater wage increase by maintaining the 15 percent differential, members will keep the differential.

Providing at least a 1 percent increase in 2022 allows the city to establish a pattern of general wage increases with other bargaining units, too, the contract said. The new contract also clarifies the process of selecting an arbitrator.

The parties agreed to a three-year agreement from Jan.1, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2022.

This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 6:00 PM with the headline "2 Youngstown city employee unions agree to delay raises due to pandemic."