City Commissioners will be asked to approved a new labor agreement with the City of Great Falls Public Employees Crafts Council during their Feb. 6 meeting.

The labor group includes 130 employees across four city departments, administration, library, park and recreation and public works.

There were three initial negotiations in May and June.

An agreement wasn’t reaching during those negotiations and the the parties moved to mediation.

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There were two mediation meetings in September and November, with agreement reached after the second session, according to city staff.

Gaye McInerney, city human resources director, told The Electric that wages was the major point of negotiations.

The union members voted to approve the new agreement on Jan. 10.

Some of the collective bargaining processes between the city and labor unions were longer over the last year than in years past, McInerney said.

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A few readers associated with the Crafts Council told The Electric that they’d filed a complaint with the state over labor practices, but the Board of Personnel Appeals had not received any such complaints as of the end of December, according to Montana Department of Labor and Industry staff.

Some union members indicated to The Electric that city employees had left due to labor negotiations

McInerney told The Electric in early January that “through the exit interview process, HR is told a number of reasons as to why employees depart the city. What is discussed in the shop is not always relayed or provided to HR as the reason for departure. The most frequently reported reasons are opportunities for higher wages and growth/upward mobility. The city has experienced three CRAFTS members who exited the City’s employment and have subsequently returned to the city within six months.”

The Electric was also told by a reader that the city was planning to downsize the Park and Rec department.

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Both McInerney and Park and Rec director Steve Herrig told The Electric there was no intent, nor discussion, as of early January to downsize Park and Rec.

They said the department expects to increase staffing with the opening of the new indoor aquatic center.

The two-year labor agreement being considered by commissioners on Feb. 6 includes updates to the probationary period versus an evaluation period for a promotion, transfer or reassignment; adding an annual calculation level for longevity after completing five years of service; and new language for the city’s use of GPS locators on all city vehicles “to optimize its provision of services to the public.

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The proposed agreement includes a 4.75 percent cost of living adjustment to step one employees and maintains a five percent cost of living for steps two and three for both years of the agreement; and increases lead man pay by $1.50 per hour, according to the staff report.

The financial impact of the two year contract is $1,190,131, with a $411,887 for the cost of living adjustment in the first year and $431,452 for the cost of living adjustment in the second year of the agreement, according to staff.

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The annual longevity level after five years through the 10th year is an increase of $15,240 and the city’s portion of health insurance increases for the first year is $159,400 and for the second year, $172,152, according to staff.