AFSCME Local 18 and Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts have reached a tentative agreement.

AFSCME Local 18 began negotiating on February 24, 2022, for the three units with expiring contracts. The 5-year contract includes a 6.75 percent cost-of-living adjustment, $5,250 annually for student loan repayment, a $1,500 pandemic appreciation bonus, and a one-time $1,250 payment. “This TA represents the best financial package I have seen in my 25 years with the agency,” says Glenn Acosta, President of AFSCME Local 18. The agreement also includes a third-party salary to identify pay inequities and a third-party audit of the promotion process.

The tentative agreement comes months after negotiations, which LACSD did not make easy for the Local 18 bargaining team. They strongly rejected all of Local 18’s proposals and requests, which required the bargaining team to be creative. “Every gain by AFSCME required presenting creative alternatives, some compromise, and being mindful of how the [LACSD] Personnel Committee Directors would receive it,” said Acosta.

Even with all of the push back from the LACSD negotiating team, AFSCME Local 18 managed to negotiate a contract with unprecedented wins. The tentative agreement will be taken to the membership for a ratification vote soon and then to LACSD for final approval.