City of Coronado employees ratify contract raising stagnant wages

[originally published by Daisha Benjamin on September 15, 2022] 

Members of AFSCME Local 127 have ratified a 3-year contract with the City of Coronado. More than 90% voted in favor of ratifying the tentative agreement.

Bargaining took six months due to the City’s negotiating team sitting on proposals until receiving approval from the City Council. “The negotiations process was a little longer than expected,” said AFSCME Local 127 President Tim Douglass. “Unfortunately, the City of Coronado played some games and stalled at the end of negotiations.” Even with these perceived stalling tactics, the local 127 bargaining team stood strong and negotiated a robust union contract.

The contract includes an 11% wage increase over the next three years, certification pay for certain job classifications that obtain at least one certification, and longevity bonuses for bargaining unit members who have uninterrupted employment with the City. At 10 years, bargaining unit members receive $1,000; at 15 years, bargaining unit members receive $2,000; at 20 years, bargaining unit members receive $2,000; and at 25 years, bargaining unit members receive $2,500.

The new contract also addresses some long-standing issues. “Some long-standing issues that were cleaned up include abolishing the class B license requirement for those who never drive class B vehicles,” says David Eastlick, a lead maintenance worker for the City of Coronado. “We have had a handful of employees almost lose their jobs because they could not maintain a license that they never use.”

Other issues that were addressed include after-hours overtime. Now when members are called back to work after hours, overtime begins when they receive the call, not when they arrive at work. Even though a few long-standing issues were addressed, there are still some outstanding issues. “In my opinion, this contract is starting to address some of the long-standing issues,” said Douglass. “Unfortunately, there’s still more fighting that needs to be done by Local 127 and we look forward to the next round of negotiations.”