Posts tagged city workers
Novato city workers plan to strike for 2nd day Wednesday over sales tax funds
August 7, 2025 // According to the city's website, the measure's rise in sales tax from 8.5% to 9.25% should generate $10 million annually and help the city mend its $4 million budget deficit through the 2025/2026 fiscal year. Novato has cut city staffing by over 30 positions to manage a growing budget deficit, the city's site said, and one-time COVID-19 federal recovery funding that helped protect essential services has been depleted.
Philadelphia’s largest city workers union schedules strike vote
June 6, 2025 // A social media post urges members of AFSCME District Council 33 to attend a meeting at union headquarters to take a strike vote. One of Philadelphia’s largest labor unions is calling for a strike vote next week in what is being billed as an “Emergency General Membership Meeting.”
500 Duluth city workers reach union contract, averting strike
January 8, 2025 // A statement from the city says the agreement reflects the city’s focus on “core city services, market adjustments that reflect realities of the post-pandemic labor market, and also better positions the city for hiring and retaining the very best skills and talent.” Terms of the agreement weren’t yet available Tuesday morning, but union officials said it includes “meaningful” market adjustments, improvements to scheduling and workload expectations and commitments to address staffing shortages.
A year after vote, Portsmouth city workers demand progress on collective bargaining
December 14, 2024 // Council members Mark Hugel and Vernon Tillage said City Council has been reviewing the draft ordinance, with Hugel adding that the next move is a closed session to finetune details before a vote. Tillage said a vote isn’t expected until after the newly elected council is sworn in. Virginia was one of a few states with a blanket ban on collective bargaining for public sector employees until 2020, when the Democrat-controlled General Assembly enacted a new law, effective 2021, punting the final say to localities.
Butte-Silver Bow County union workers still angry over contract negotiations, threaten strike
November 5, 2024 // In the meantime, the clerks union that consists of 65 members is adding its voice of malcontent. "Our position currently right now is that we are the lowest paid Butte-Silver Bow employees. Our employees are 12-13 on up, and what we’re looking for is making sure that these have a livable wage and making sure that they have health insurance and those types of things," says Jennifer Kerns, a county administration assistant and vice president of the Local 372. Kerns says so far, union members have voted down the current contract twice and will take their third and final vote next week. In her time with the union, she says she has never seen the clerks vote down a contract.
Will San Francisco Unions Go on Strike? Labor Fight Could Upend Mayor’s Race
January 16, 2024 // State Attorney General Rob Bonta, a likely candidate for California governor in 2026, mingled with guests who included top union reps for city firefighters, janitors and carpenters, along with District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and San Francisco Supervisors Shamann Walton and Ahsha Safaí. Former Mayor Willie Brown delivered remarks in his official role as San Francisco’s roastmaster general, and Daniel Lurie, a wealthy nonprofit founder who is running for mayor, also showed up to glad-hand. But one person was conspicuously absent: Mayor London Breed. While she was invited, the mayor’s appearance could have made for some awkward conversations—contracts for nearly three dozen public employee unions, not including police and firefighters, will expire this summer. Multiple labor leaders at the party said a nasty fight is brewing in San Francisco. The city is staring down a projected $800 million deficit over the next two years, meaning vacant jobs will be eliminated, contracts could be cut and services will likely diminish. Adding to the degree of difficulty in negotiations, a court ruling in 2023 has potentially opened the door for city workers to strike for the first time in more than four decades.
Charlotte unions propose ‘bill of rights’ for city workers
October 26, 2023 // Brewer and Mike Feneis are leaders of the Local 660. Along with the Charlotte chapter of the Public Service Workers Union, they’ve drafted a workers bill of rights, a list of 28 proposed policies that would give city workers certain rights if they’re under investigation. It includes requirements to notify employees if they’re under investigation and what for, to make audio recordings of disciplinary interviews, and to have a representative during questioning.
San Jose workers strike paused as terms sent to city council, labor groups say
August 16, 2023 // The workers are calling for better wages, better working conditions and asking the city to address nearly 800 job vacancies. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan released the following statement: "While I support substantial raises for our workers, I will be paying close attention to the Budget Office's projected fiscal impact before voting on the proposal. Signing up for tens of millions of dollars in projected deficits and, therefore, likely future service cuts and layoffs wouldn't be fair to city workers or residents. I won't vote for something today that's going to hurt us tomorrow."