After six months of difficult bargaining, and more than fifty all-day bargaining sessions, Local 21 and Oakland City negotiators have reached a Tentative Agreement with the City on a new two-year contract covering Local 21-represented Oakland members.
The Tentative Agreement must be approved by Local 21 Oakland members and the City Council to be finalized and take effect. Local 21 staff and bargaining team leaders will be available to answer questions and explain the tentative agreement prior to voting.
The Tentative Agreement includes salary increases, which equate to an 8% salary increase at the end of the two-year term of the agreement. There will be a 4% increase, retroactive to July 1, 2015, followed by a second 4% raise on January 14, 2017. The new agreement expires on June 30, 2017.
In between the two 4% raises, all Local 21 members will receive a one-time revenue sharing payment of $1,100 to be disbursed in February 2016 or February 2017 depending on the availability of funds, based on a formula agreed to by the unions and the administration.
Because of the “backloading” of the second 4% increase, the total percentage raise amounts to 6% during the contract term not including the revenue share payment, and 8% at the end of the contract added to member’s base wages going forward.
The Local 21 Oakland bargaining team voted overwhelming to recommend that the members vote “yes” to accept the Tentative Agreement. Renee Sykes, Oakland Local 21 VP, reacted to the new agreement saying, “The TA comes at a time of economic improvement in the City of Oakland, and the 8% in salary increases reflects this. We not only pushed back when the City proposed takeaways, we insisted that the City recognize our value as professionals with an economic package that will help all of us make ends meet after years of sacrificing for Oakland. This is a respectful step forward.”
Vickie Carson, Lead Representative for Local 21, sees a bright future for Oakland, especially for its employees organized in our union. “There is a lot of potential here, we can build on this agreement,” she said after revealing the good news of the long sought out settlement to the L21 members at this week’s Local 21 Oakland Council meeting. “You represent a broad spectrum in every way,” she added, directing her comments to the members. “There is a lot of solidarity here; this is a very good contract proposal.”
Read and view the Tentative Agreement Summary, the signed TAs, and more here.