City Commissioners approved to labor agreements during their July 1 meeting.

Gaye McInerney, city human resources director, said that commissioners were reviewing two labor agreements during the meeting and four unions were scheduled to return to the table to continue bargaining in July and August.

The commission is scheduled to consider two more labor agreements during their July 15 meeting.

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Commissioners approved agreements with MFPE, Local No. 7796 and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Works, Local No. 233 during their July 1 meeting.

Both agreements include updated contract language making it clearer, more understandable and consistent, to include grammatical corrections, reflecting current terminology and references applicable statutes, according to city staff.

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Both agreements reflect changes to the city employee health insurance cost split with the city now paying 80 percent and employees paying 20 percent.

The MFPE union consists of 59 employees across nine departments-administration, finance, planning, public works, Great Falls Fire Rescue, Great Falls Public Library, Municipal Court, Park and Recreation and the Great Falls Police Department.

MFPE members voted to approve the contract in May.

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McInerney said that in the bargaining sessions she’d participated in at the city, this one had the city record, coming to consensus within four hours.

The MFPE agreement runs July 1 through June 30, 2027 and includes an annual $300 clothing allotment for animal control and community services officers within the Great Falls Police Department.

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The agreement also reflects a 4 percent wage adjustment and a 3 percent cost of living increase for each year of the two-year contract.

The wage increases included in that contract equate to a $478,186 increased cost to the city for each year of the contract.

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Commissioners also approved the IBEW agreement, which includes four employees across two departments, planning and public works.

The agreement runs July 1 through June 30, 2027.

The IBEW agreement reflects a 2.5 percent wage increase and a 3 percent cost of living increase, plus a 1 percent health insurance adjustment for each year of the two-year contract.

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The cost increase to the city for the wage and cost of living increase is $49,000 each year.

IBEW members voted to ratify the new contract in May 2025.

Commissioner Joe McKenney asked what the contentious issues were in these negotiations, to which McInerney said MFPE didn’t have any as their priorities were in alignment with the city.

Most union employees have six months probationary periods based on bargaining, but some departments, such as Municipal Court, prefer 12 months and so that was negotiated into the MFPE agreement, McInerney said.

McKenney said that, “I’m a Scrooge,” and there were two many holidays in government.

He said there were holidays in theory in the hospitality industry, within which he previously worked, and said city employees “should appreciate it.”