The Soldotna City Council adopted a resolution that ratifies a collective bargaining agreement with the Public Safety Employees Association for a term ending June 30, 2025. The Public Safety Employees Association represents employees in the bargaining unit, including police officers and the police clerk positions. The current collective bargaining agreement between the City of Soldotna and the PSEA approved by the city council on September 12, 2019 is for a term ending on June 30, 2022.
City management and representatives with the PSEA began meeting in March and April to negotiate the terms of an updated three-year agreement, which was ratified by the members of the bargaining unit on May 5, 2022.
The substantive changes include:
- Increasing the time written reprimands remain on an employee’s personnel file from two to five years, and further define/clarify the use of supervisor anecdotal files
- Minor modifications made to the grievance procedures, regarding notification and process
- Updates the personal leave scheduling (bidding) process
- Removing outdated references to employee ‘sick leave’
- 9% cost of living adjustment for FY23. FY24 and FY25 will be Alaska Urban CPI, with a floor of 0.5% and a ceiling of 4.5%. In the event CPI-U exceeds 4.5%, the city of Soldotna will pay the difference, up to an additional 3.5%, as a lump sum payment
- Amends the way that overtime hours are calculated, by including holiday and personal leave hours as ‘hours worked’ for the purpose of calculating OT pay,
- Adding Seward’s Day (last Monday in March) as an additional holiday
- Increasing eligible reimbursement amount for a replacement vest carrier from $400 to $500
According to correspondence written to the Mayor and City Council, City Manager Stephanie Queen says that the process of negotiating the updated agreement was effective and the updated terms were fair and reasonable. The resolution, which was adopted through the consent agenda, would be in effect for a three-year period, starting July 1, 2022 ending June 30, 2025.
Click here for more information on Resolution 2022-025