The Lemon Grove City Council has approved a 3 percent pay increase for unionized public works staff even though it is still negotiating an initial contract.
The raise, approved Tuesday on a 3-0 vote, is retroactive to July 1. Mayor Racquel Vasquez abstained and Councilmember Liana LeBaron was absent.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 127, AFSCME for short, was formed in September 2022 to represent public works employees, City Manager Lydia Romero said via email. Negotiations with the union began earlier this year in May.
During a presentation before the vote, Councilmember Alysson Snow said that when the City Council passed its budget in June, it had allocated a 3 percent salary increase for city staff and the fire department. Because of ongoing union negotiations for the initial contract, the public works staff did not receive the increase at that time.
Snow said during the June vote that they expected to have a deal with AFSCME by now, but negotiations have continued and the public works staff has still not received cost-of-living adjustments.
“With a first contract, we want to make sure that it gets the time and attention that it needs, but at the same time, we are in a time where everything is expensive, and 3 percent in your salary will make a huge difference,” she said.
The mayor said Tuesday she abstained from voting because she felt it was inappropriate to make a decision regarding pay increases while union contract negotiations were still underway with AFCSME.
“I believe that we can get it done, but I wouldn’t want to circumvent a process, a union’s sanction process that has been in place,” Vasquez said. “I think that if we go around that, then we’re setting precedent.”
Councilmember Jennifer Mendoza said that when she voted to approve the annual budget in June, she believed it would only take another month or two before the contract was completed. She apologized to the workers present at Tuesday’s meeting that they had been waiting for a raise for so long.
Several workers who attended Tuesday’s city council meeting said the pay increase was much needed as many staffers have had to take on second jobs to keep up with increasing inflation.
Streets supervisor Sam Landeros said that in the 25 years he has worked for Lemon Grove, he has observed significant turnover as people leave for higher pay at other local departments.
“We are way understaffed, the work has not stopped, the work has tripled and the expectation of trying to get stuff done has been even greater,” Landeros said. “I think the staff is well deserving of a 3 percent pay increase, it shows appreciation.”
Romero said there is no data available regarding department turnover.
