Recently renegotiated contracts with Redwood City’s employee unions show that most workers are in line for raises — a fact not mentioned by city officials when they touted major union concessions earlier this month.
The city’s police sergeants are to receive annual 3 percent salary increases in each of the next four years, beginning in September. And the contract for police officers guarantees they will be eligible for raises starting this year if their salaries fall below the mean or median salary — whichever is greater — of police in seven comparison cities.
Members of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which make up nearly half of Redwood City’s approximately 500 employees, will get no raise this year but a 3 percent increase in 2012 and another 3 percent in 2013.
Firefighters, represented by the International Association of Firefighters Local 2400, won’t receive raises this year but will see their salaries boosted to the median pay of firefighters in 13 comparison agencies next year and then increased an additional 2 percent in 2013.
Members of the city’s executive management did not receive raises in 2009 or 2010, but are eligible for “performance-based” pay increases, according to City Manager Bob Bell.
Faced with a budget deficit projected to reach $4.1 million in five years, Redwood City officials had asked government employees to accept reductions in compensation totalling about $5.6 million over the next three years. All the unions agreed, with some reopening contracts that had not yet expired. The city’s goal was reached, officials announced in a press release last week.
The tentative agreements will go to the Redwood City City Council on Monday for approval.
Mayor Jeff Ira said reaching the goal was his priority and he doesn’t mind if employees get raises because they took cuts in other compensation, mostly related to retirement and health benefits. Ira said he has fielded a few complaints about the raises.
“A couple of people have brought that up,” Ira said. “It’s all part of the negotiations to get where you need to be in the long run.”
All five employee groups agreed to reduce retirement benefits for future workers.
Additionally, many employees whose entire health care costs for them and their families were footed by taxpayers now will have to contribute a bit. For police sergeants and executive managers the contribution will be 10 percent; for SEIU workers, 5 percent.
Police officers with Kaiser Family plans still will be covered by taxpayers, but they no longer will be able to cash out that benefit if they choose a lower-cost option, Bell said.
Firefighters will receive $1,479 a month toward health benefits, according to their contract agreement. Information was not immediately available to determine whether that covered the full cost of a family plan.
Paul Sheffield, president of the Redwood City Police Sergeants Association, said the union’s membership took pay freezes in two of the last five years to help the city weather a sour economy. And although members now will get 3 percent raises in the next four years, they will have to pay 10 percent for their own medical, dental and vision care, he noted.
“We tried to do what we could for the city’s long-term sustainability,” he said.
The sergeants also will contribute up to 7 percent of their retirement costs by the year 2015. SEIU workers, who already contribute 8 percent toward retirement, will fork over an additional 3.8 percent by the end of their contract. The union, which represents library, parks, public works and administrative workers, also accepted four unpaid furlough days between 2012 and 2013.
A new agreement with the Redwood City Management Employees Association has not yet been released. Bell said it should go to the council at its next meeting.
Email Bonnie Eslinger at beslinger@dailynewsgroup.com.
