San Jose employee unions agree to tentative deal with city to avoid strike
The unions representing San Jose city workers have reached a deal with the city that appears to have averted a three-day strike set to begin Tuesday, pending ratification by the city council.
The council was holding a closed-session meeting Tuesday to vote on the agreement that the unions say includes historic wage increases and would last until June 2025.
Last week, city workers represented by the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 21 and the Municipal Employees' Federation-American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 101 overwhelmingly voted in favor of a strike.
Workers were demanding a 7% pay increase and relief from understaffing issues; they have been working without a contract since it expired in late June. The city offered workers a 5% pay increase, saying anything else would result in cuts to other city services.
In a press statement Tuesday, IFPTE Local 21 and AFSCME Local 101 said the tentative agreements with the city include:
- a 6% wage increase in year one, 5% in year two, and 3.5-4% in year three
- an increase from one to eight weeks of paid family leave
- more competitive bilingual pay
- improvements in retention and recruitment in understaffed areas
The unions said their bargaining teams endorsed the tentative agreement and have called off the scheduled August 15-17 strike. A full vote by the membership is expected following the city council's expected ratification.
One person who isn't onboard with the deal is San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. The mayor said he supports raises for city workers but that the agreement could affect San Jose residents.
"Our council did not do its job," said Mahan. "Our leaders were elected to represent the people and the needs of the people took a backseat. The reality is we're gambling with the services people rely on."