Non-negotiating municipal staff will receive a smaller salary increase | New Policies

City council on Monday approved a resolution that will give the majority of non-union employees a 2% raise. Certain positions at the Waterloo Police Service and Waterloo Fire Rescue will receive higher raises.

Deputy Police Chief Joe Leibold and Fire Chief Pat Treloar each get a 12.1% raise. Police captains will receive a 10.3% salary increase and battalion commanders will receive a 6% raise.

Additionally, Mayor Quentin Hart has confirmed that Chief of Police Joel Fitzgerald will receive a 2% pay raise.

Human resources director Lance Dunn said the raises would cost about $476,611, including $379,496 from the general fund. Money to raise funds for the Deputy Chief of Police and Fire Chief was approved by the council for the 2022-23 budget. Raises for police captains and battalion commanders were not.

A city worker who received the 2% raise said she felt neglected.

Leann Even, the deputy city clerk, said there was no voice or representation for non-union employees in the process. Even said the city clerk’s office originally planned a 3% raise for staff as non-union employees. She also noted that this is less than what was negotiated for unionized employees.

“I would like the board to see me as equally valued as employees who are going to do 12, 10, 6 percent raises,” Even said. “I hope you enjoy what we do as employees. I want to know that I am valued as an employee.

She also noted that the council had approved a resolution to study raises and structures without negotiation, saying the city was struggling to attract candidates.

Boesen agreed that non-union employees had fallen below what union contracts suggested and said those employees needed representation.

“I’m really pleased that this board voted to pass the resolution for the non-negotiation study,” Boesen said. “It can shock us when it comes back, and if it does, we need to come up with a plan to address it so we can work with non-union employees (and show) that we appreciate them.”

Boesen, the only councilor to discuss the agenda item, said he would support the resolution after careful consideration as contracts keep changing for non-bargaining staff and those in the fire and police departments. . He said, for example, that some lieutenants earned as much as a captain.

“We’ve compressed so much that in order to attract qualified people to fill these positions, we have to do something to adjust the salary,” Boesen said. “We keep signing contracts that bring everyone up but these people stay down.”

The board passed the resolution 6-0, with John Chiles absent.