Members of AFSCME Local 858 have ratified a new Union contract with the City of Pasadena.

The contract, which was overwhelmingly ratified last week, includes some of the highest wage increases for the membership in recent years. Members will receive a 2.75 percentage wage increase in the first and second year of the contract, a 3 percent increase in the third year and a 3.25 percent wage increase in the fourth year.

The Union, which is comprised of maintenance workers, water treatment operators, inspectors, and more, also won two new key provisions dealing with comp days and certification pay. The new certification pay provision was initially proposed as a one-time bonus, but the Local 858 bargaining team negotiated it to be a monthly stipend for members who obtain certain certifications specific to their job classification. For example, bargaining unit members assigned to PWP water treatment and operations that possess water distribution or treatment certifications that exceed their job requirements will receive $75 per month. Bargaining unit members in the classification of plumber and senior plumber who possess a STAR Plumbing Mastery certification through the National Inspection Testing Certification Corporation (NITC) will receive $250 each month.

The new comp day provision allows all Local 858 members to choose whether to accrue comp time up to 120 hours or be paid overtime. All unused compensatory time off can be cashed out annually at the employee’s regular rate of pay in the last complete pay period of the fiscal year.

“Negotiations were not extremely difficult, but there were certain areas where the City just would not budge,” said Local 858 Business Representative Lynnette Howard. “Overall, I think we can call this a win for the hundreds of Local 858 members who keep the City of Pasadena operating smoothly.”