The District government and 9,000 of its employees have reached an agreement on a four-year, $118 million contract that includes a 15 percent pay increase, Metro subsidies and a contribution toward affordable housing initiatives.
The collective bargaining agreement with seven major unions covers employees at roughly 27 District agencies working in professional, technical, clerical, administrative, trade and craft positions. It will take effect Oct. 1, once the existing contract expires, and last through fiscal 2010.
“We’re managing costs, but we’re also helping our employees while the cost of living continues to increase,” said Mayor Anthony Williams, who announced the deal during his weekly press briefing.
The deal was “hard fought,” said City Administrator Robert Bobb, whose office led the eight months of negotiations.
“It does fit within our budget, and it offers our employees other benefits that are crucial to their quality of life,” Bobb said.
The contract includes a 3 percent pay increase effective Oct. 1, followed by raises of 3.25 percent and 4 percent during the next three years. The District agreed to provide $25 per month to each employee as a mass transit subsidy and to contribute a quarter percent of all base wages toward affordable housing initiatives.
Also, most employees will now have the option of a defined-benefit pension plan, which would guarantee a monthly salary after retirement.
George Johnson, the unions’ chief negotiator, praised Williams for forging a strong bond with labor groups. Such early agreement on the deal is rare, Johnson said.
“It wasn’t an easy run,” he said. “We sat there many a night, many a long hour during this battle. But in the end nobody went away a loser.”
The District opens talks with its unions a year and a half before a contract is slated to expire, a city negotiator said. All existing agreements are up to date, though talks with firefighters and city attorneyswill start again soon.
