The Long Beach City Council has stamped its approval on the new labor deal with the city's engineering staff, a move touted to stabilize the workforce with competitive compensation. During a meeting on Dec. 5, the council voted unanimously to ratify the three-year tentative agreement with the Long Beach Association of Engineering Employees (AEE), reports Long Beach's official website.
Mayor Rex Richardson, in a statement celebrating the ratification, emphasized the necessity for the city to bolster its infrastructure through strategic investments and stronger compensation packages for city employees that reflect the city’s dedication to its workforce, contributing to the recruitment and retention of skilled professionals essential for Long Beach's growth and prosperity. The newly approved agreement, following 12 negotiation sessions since May this year, encompasses equity adjustments of up to 7% for various job classifications and a step in the direction that acknowledges the importance engineering staff hold in the functioning and the very skeleton of the urban body, as the city sees it.
Under the fresh contract, all members of the bargaining unit are poised to receive a 5.6% wage increase in fiscal year 2024 and additional 1% raises set for 2025 and 2026, coupled with a one-time lump sum bonus—all part of the efforts to keep salaries competitive. Moreover, the AEE, standing at approximately 217 members strong, also managed to negotiate enhancements to several employee benefits, from bereavement leave to educational assistance funding. "This agreement supports fair and equitable pay and other benefits for AEE employees," City Manager Tom Modica revealed in a show of support for the deal and for the equitable treatment that the city believes each employee merits.
Jason Rodriguez, the President of the AEE, relayed the union's satisfaction with the overall contract spanned between 2023 and 2026, noting how every member came out ahead following the tough bargaining process, a testament to not just the skill but the unity that the AEE demonstrated. They worked hard to ensure that the resulting contract was not just a band-aid but a long-term solution to ongoing recruitment and retention challenges. The City of Long Beach remains committed to ensuring that its charter promises to its nearly half-million inhabitants, promising a mosaic of services from the famed Long Beach Airport to the Queen Mary, continue unfurled into the foreseeable future.
