Union leaders are upset with Akron City Council for postponing a vote Monday on a new three-year contract.
“[Expletive] them,” American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1360 President George Johnson said angrily outside council chambers after he learned of the decision. “We deserved a raise last week.”
The city and its four labor unions, which have had a touchy relationship in the past, had been negotiating the new contract for a year and Monday’s vote was expected to be a formality.
But some council members questioned the longstanding practice of bundling both bargaining and non-bargaining raises in the same legislation.
Councilwoman Linda Omobien also wanted to discuss the administrative increases and salaries before signing off on the measure.
Council is now expected to vote on the agreement next week.
The four unions have already approved the contract, which calls for a 3 percent raise this year retroactive to Jan. 3 and 2.5 percent raises in the following two years. It also includes concessions in health plans, such as members paying more toward their insurance and requiring spouses in most cases to get their insurance through their employers if it’s offered.
Union leaders were irritated that there was a last-minute holdup. If there were issues with the legislation or administrative raises, they should have been dealt with earlier, they said.
“It’s not a surprise to council,” said Frank Williams, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 7.
The unions, which represent about 1,400 workers, have been trying hard to build up trust with the city, International Association of Fire Fighters President Russ Brode said.
“This doesn’t help,” he said.
The original legislation proposed by the administration and debated in committee Monday afternoon extended the union raises and health care changes to all employees.
That included raises for Mayor Dan Horrigan, who has been in office for less than a month; new members of the mayor’s Cabinet who also have been working at the city for less than a month; and the council members.
Horrigan’s Chief of Staff James Hardy said the administration planned to strip the mayor’s raise from the ordinance before it is voted on.
During the committee discussion, new Councilman Zack Milkovich also balked at the idea of giving himself a raise.
“I’ve only been here three weeks,” he said. “I don’t deserve a raise.”
He called it irresponsible to approve such a pay increase.
In other business, the council approved a 28-unit housing complex in the city to serve grandparents raising their grandkids.
The East Akron Neighborhood Development Corp. (EANDC) plans to build the cluster homes between Gage and Corley streets near Mason Community Learning Center on the city’s east side.
The $5.9 million project will feature two-bedroom and three-bedroom units ranging from 1,200 to 1,400 square feet, with each having a single-car garage.
There also will be a clubhouse, where services such as financial literacy and youth programs will be offered.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ.