Yuba City Workers Weighing Strike Options After City Council Imposes Contract
YUBA CITY (CBS13) — Dozens of Yuba City workers won't be on picket lines for now, despite the City Council voting to impose a contract that union workers have fought for the last year.
Workers at the water and sewage treatment plants, city hall and public works know how important their jobs are to Yuba City. They say they want to launch a public awareness campaign first before they strike.
"We've tried to work with the city. We've tried to move our stance, our offer and the city does not want to budge," said water treatment facility worker Rene Garcia.
Now, the next move is in the hands of the 80 to 100 city workers already authorized to strike.
The main sticking point in negotiations revolves around furloughs and pension payments. Workers agreed six years ago to not work every other Friday to avoid layoffs. Now, the city wants to end those furlough Fridays, but it wants workers to start picking up 8 percent of their pension payments.
"It's cutting the employees' net take-home pay by 8 percent and that's what's not acceptable," said Gary Stucky, the executive director of Public Employees Union Local 1.
The city says it can't afford to keep picking up the tab.
"We spend about 42 percent of our entire budget as it relates to salaries, goes to pay for our retirement package," said Yuba City spokesman Darin Gale.
The city said its offer is final and the contract will be imposed in June.
If a strike does happen, the union spokesman says it won't get started until June, and it's hoping to restart negotiations with the city before that.
