Earlier this month, City Commissioners approved a new labor agreement with the City of Great Falls Public Employees Crafts Council.

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

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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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Commissioners unanimously approved the agreement during their Feb. 6 meeting.

During the meeting, Commissioner Joe McKenney asked if it was normal to go this long past a contract’s expiration date.

McInerney said she wasn’t sure how to define normal, but this had been one of the longest negotiations.

Wages, recruitment and retention were among the top issues, she said.

McKenney asked why so many people were part of the negotiating teams.

McInerney said it’s the only contract with five unions represented under a single agreement.

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The two-year labor agreement 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.

City approves labor agreement

The 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.