Pollack describes wage increases and equity funding in last bargaining round
Pollack says the last round delivered over 16% wage increases over five years, a flexible work pilot extended through June 2027, and equity funding that raised entry pay, eliminated early steps, and funded retention bonuses for titles like lifeguards, 911 operators, and DSS caseworkers.
In the last round of bargaining, when we were coming out of the COVID pandemic and the nationwide recruitment retention challenges, often referred to as the Great Resignation, recruitment and retention were really at the forefront of our focus.
We delivered the most significant wage increases in more than a decade, totaling over 16% over five years for city workers.
Agreements also included our flexible work pilot, which was recently extended through June of 2027.
And we also used a concept that we called equity funding to target specific titles with particularly concerning recruitment retention challenges.
This equity funding was used for things such as increasing pay for entry-level roles, eliminating early steps in graduated pay plans, thereby accelerating employee advancement to higher steps and retention bonuses.
Specifically, this funding facilitated, among many other things, permanent lifeguard and 911 operator wage increases, short-term recruitment,
retention bonuses for DSS caseworkers, accelerated top pay schedules for special officers and school safety agents, and a new salary structure for probation officers.
With many of our labor contracts expired or expiring in the coming months and year, we know we have a lot more work to do on this front and dealing with recruitment retention issues is one of our top priorities as we approach a new round of bargaining.