City Council Meeting Date: December 17, 2024
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Michelle Mahowald, Communications & Human Resources Director
Ben Martig, City Administrator
Title
Consider Approval of 2025-2027 Law Enforcement Labor Services (LELS) Sergeant Unit Labor Agreement and Memorandum of Understandings.
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council consider approval of 2025-2027 LELS Sergeant Unit labor agreement and memorandum of understandings.
Summary Report:
There will be one presentation for all labor agreements, memorandums of understandings, and resolutions presented for consideration of approval at this meeting.
Here’s a summary of changes made to the 2025-2027 LELS Sergeant Unit labor agreement:
• Clarify provisions of grievance procedure to be consistent with other grievance provisions and avoid duplicity.
• Remove advance step grievance filing for discipline.
• Expressly specify additional existing management rights of city.
• Add Juneteenth.
• Increase employer health insurance premium contribution base from $625 to $650 for single coverage and $850 to $1,000 for family coverage.
• General wage increases of
o 4.0%in 2025
o 3.0%in 2026
o 3.0% in 2027
• Increase shift differential from $70.00 to $75.00 per pay period.
• Increase Admin. and Investigative Sergeant monthly lump sum from $300 to $330 per month.
• Establish that an employee assigned to the Special Weapons and Tactics Team will receive a lump sum payment of $100 per month for each month the employee is so assigned.
• Employees assigned to perform Field Training Officer, firearms instructor, and STORM duties a wage premium three dollars ($3.00) per hour while the employee is conducting the training.
• Remove jury duty provision since addressed in policy.
• Remove FMLA provisions since addressed in laws and policies.
• 3-year contract - 2025-2027.
• Update begin date of 2025, 2026, and 2027 wages to align with pay period and payroll dates.
Base pay:
o Base Pay Schedule (BPS) will be modified to reduce the number of steps in each grade from 11 to 8.
o Step 8 for the 2025 BPS will be 3% above step 7 of the 2025 BPS.
o On January 1, 2025, incumbent employees placed on the step in the pay grade for their job classification in the 2025 BPS that is closest to, but not less than the employee’s current base wage.
o Employees employed as of December 31, 2024 move one step in the pay grade for their job classification, effective on January 1 each year.
o Employees will move to Steps 2 and 3 after 6 months on preceding step.
• Establish MOU re double time pay on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.
• Update MOU to align pay increases for each year with pay period that includes January 1 of each year.
Staff have attached a council resolution, labor agreement, and memorandums of understanding. The labor agreement, and memorandum of understandings signed by Law Enforcement Labor Services business representative and union stewards will be delivered to City Hall by 2:00 p.m. on December 17, 2024.
Financial Impacts:
The proposed labor agreement and memorandum of understandings economic impacts are within the budget guidelines for 2025 and were discussed in closed session earlier this year.
Tentative Timelines:
Wages will take effect in 2025, subject to the beginning of the new wages aligning with payroll periods.