How are City employee salaries and benefits determined?

Slightly more than half of the City’s employees are represented by one of four unions. Their salaries and benefits are established through the negotiation process. Bargaining with Fire and Police employees is subject to interest arbitration, which requires the City to pay a competitive wage based on at least the midpoint of the comparable market.  State law prohibits the City from unilaterally changing, freezing, or reducing salaries and/or benefits.  If the City and a bargaining unit reach an impasse during the negotiation process, an arbitrator, appointed by the Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC), will make a binding decision that applies to both parties.

As for the City’s non-represented employees (i.e., non-union), which comprise the management team, professional staff, engineers, and various administrative staff, their salaries are benchmarked to the midpoint of the comparable market, and their benefits have been below the midpoint of the comparable market for many years.