Gilroy Reaches Agreement with City Workers' Union, Averting Strike

Gilroy reached a tentative agreement Monday with an employee union representing about 100 city workers, averting a two-day strike that was scheduled for next week, city officials announced Tuesday.

City management and representatives of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Local 101, reached the tentative agreement, which interim city administrator Ed Tewes called a “reasonable and responsible compromise.”

The union’s members include police dispatchers, water utility workers, building inspectors, recreation employees and streets and parks crews, according to city officials.

On Oct. 22, the union had authorized a strike for Nov. 9 and 10, which led the city to declare an impasse after roughly six months of negotiations.

The union had asked for a 4 percent annual pay bump for three years and last month voted overwhelmingly against the city’s final offer for a 2 percent annual wage increase, according to city officials.

The tentative agreement includes a 2 percent pay raise retroactive from Nov. 1 and another 2 percent raise on July 1, which is similar to contracts reached with the city’s other unions, city officials said.

The city also agreed to carry out a study next fall comparing job categories and compensation in its labor market. The agreement, which still needs approval from the city council at its Nov. 16 meeting, expires on Dec. 31, 2016.

“We are pleased that we were able to find areas of agreement that will prevent a threatened strike that would have impacted public service and damaged our ongoing employer/employee relationships,” Tewes said in a statement.

“The union is relieved that we were able to come to an agreement with the city that both addresses our members’ concerns and keeps city services running,” union president Randy Carpenter said. “We look forward to continuing to serve this community ensuring that the city of Gilroy is safe, clean, prosperous, and one of the best places in the state to work and live.”

--Bay City News Service, photo via Shutterstock