By Kevin Hanson The Courier-Herald
About 50 city employees are under contract for the next three years, subject to terms of an agreement approved during the most recent meeting of the Enumclaw City Council.
The five council members on hand Jan. 22 authorized the three-year pact with the local affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. AFSCME represents non-administrative workers in both the public works and finance departments, as well as those in the city's administration office and at the public library.
The contract is retroactive to Jan. 1 and runs through the final day of 2009. Representatives from the city and the union had reached tentative agreement in mid-December.
Under terms of the agreement, employees receive an immediate pay increase of 4 percent, which is equal to 95 percent of the Consumer Price Index. Wage hikes the next two years will be based on 100 percent of the CPI.
Also spelled out are terms of a benefits package: with regard to medical insurance, the city pays 100 percent of the cost for employees and 90 percent for spouses and dependents; for dental and vision programs, the city pays 100 percent for all.
Additionally, employees will be entitled to eight hours of sick leave for each month of service, can use sick leave to care for a spouse or child and can take three days bereavement leave to attend the funeral of a close relative.
Vacation time is based upon years of service to the city. New employees accrue vacation time at a rate equal to six days for the first year; 10-year employees receive 24 days of paid vacation per year.
In other business, the council:
€ entered into a joint purchasing agreement with the city of Tacoma, a move that could save the city an estimated $20,000. The city had planned on buying two new garbage trucks during the coming year and had budgeted about $460,000 for the rigs. Tacoma has already negotiated a deal to buy trucks for $220,000 each and the supplier has agreed to offer the same price to any other government agency joining in the deal.
€ authorized Public Works Director Chris Searcy to purchase limited amounts of natural gas - enough to cover the next two winters - if the price drops low enough. The cost on the open market had spiked to $9 per decatherm due to cold weather on the East Coast and had previously been hovering around the $8.60 level. The council told Searcy to lock in a deal if the price drops to $8.25.
€ approved the appointment of Blanche Evans to the Arts Commission.
€ announced they will meet at 7:30 p.m. March 5 at City Hall for a goal-setting study session.
Kevin Hanson can be reached at khanson@courierherald.com.
