City Commissioners approved two labor agreements during their July 5 meeting.

Commissioners approved an agreement with MFPE, Local #7796, which includes 56 employees across nine departments-administration, finance, Great Falls Fire Rescue, Great Falls Public Library, Municipal Court, parks and recreation, planning, Great Falls Police Department and public works.

The agreement runs from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2025.

The agreement includes some language updates and some changes, including that longevity pay was bargained to begin after five years of service with a cap after 26 years of service. The longevity payout amounts did not change.

The agreement included language holding all employees in the labor unit to the city’s drug and alcohol policy.

The union asked for that language to be included, according to Gaye McInerney, city human resources director.

The agreement also includes a new section to include all previously bargained items for positions that were formerly included with the emergency call center and the public safety communications officers.

The agreement also reclassifies some positions and makes market adjustments for some job titles that with a 3 percent cost of living adjustment has a increase for the upcoming fiscal year of $273,000.

The impact for the 3 percent cost of living adjustment in the following fiscal year is about $70,000, according to city staff.

Commissioners also approved a labor agreement with MFPE City of Great Falls 911 Public Safety Communication Officers.

The union represents 19 city employees.

In 2022, the dispatchers union approached the city with a request to separate from the original MFPE collective bargaining unit to become their own unit. An actual local unit number is in the process of being assigned, according to the city’s human resources department.

This is the first collective bargaining agreement between the two parties and they started from scratch for all terms and conditions, according to staff.

The agreement runs July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2025.

The new wage schedule reflects a 4.5 percent cost of living increase and a 5.5 percent market adjustment in the upcoming fiscal year and a 1 percent cost of living increase and a 3.5 percent market adjustment in the second year of the agreement.

The impact of the increases in the first year of the agreement is $77,000 and $42,000 in the second year, according to city staff.