3 employee pacts get OK in Oregon

7/25/2006

Contracts with three unions were approved unanimously last night by Oregon City Council.

The contracts are with the full-time firefighters association, city service employees, and police command officers.

One three-year agreement gives the 10 full-time firefighters a 3 1/4 percent raise the first year retroactive to July 1 and a 3 1/2 percent raise the second and third years, beginning on July 1 both years.

In the first year of the contract, firefighters will be paid between $44,686 and $58,282, depending on experience.

The contract also includes a new section detailing drug and alcohol testing aimed at prevention and rehabilitation rather than termination at the request of the administration, Fire Chief Ray Walendzak said.

The about 80 service employees who are members of Local 755 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees also received a three-year contract beginning on July 1.

Service employees include those in the street, water, and wastewater departments.

Their contract gives them a 3 percent pay increase on July 1 for each of the next three years.

In addition, the city will pay for 90 percent of health care, and the employee will pay the remaining 10 percent with a $100 cap for a family and $50 cap for an individual each month, City Administrator Ken Filipiak said.

Though they also are responsible for paying 10 percent of health care costs, the 11 members of the Oregon Police Command Officers do not have a cap on their share.

Therefore, those members, who include sergeants and lieutenants, will receive a 3 1/4 percent wage increase the first year retroactive to July 1 and 3 1/2 percent raises the second and third years, beginning on July 1 both years.

In addition, half of an employee's annual vacation is to be taken in the first half of the year, and the other half will be taken in the second half of each year.