MANSFIELD — The head of AFSCME Local 3088 told Mansfield City Council on Tuesday the labor union will exercise the “me too” clause in its contract, two weeks after local lawmakers gave police officers a 7.75-percent pay increase.
Lance Cook, a 29-year city employee and president of the union that represents about 165 workers, said the union will begin negotiations with the city on Monday.
AFSCME workers approved a new, three-year contract in September 2021, retroactive to May 1. The deal includes a 3-percent increase in the first year with increases of 2.75 percent in each of the second and third years.
But the 62-page contract also has a clause that says if other bargaining units in the city receiver greater wage benefits, AFSCME workers will receive the same benefits effective on the same day as the other union.
Cook’s announcement to council took place the same night lawmakers approved the 2022 appropriations budget, a spending plan that does not include additional wages for AFSCME workers.
“It’s very cut and dried and that’s what we are going to discuss with the city,” Cook said. “I am not saying we’re going to get it. We’re gonna discuss it.
“I know the budget is real tight this year, but we’re not going to let it go because we’re so underpaid and employee turnover rate is really, really high,” said Cook, a shift operator at the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
The clause is in bold in the AFSCME contract:
“We’re going to fight for the jobs we have because we are still down from the last time we went through fiscal emergency. So our goal is not to get the city back into fiscal emergency. It’s to work with the city and improve city services and build on what we have done in the past six months,” Cook said.
“It’s been really hard on us in the past … but at the same time we have got to stick up for our membership and make sure that they get their money.
“We’re the lowest paid out of everybody. We are the hardest hit when it comes to anything. So we’re gonna have discussions with them. We’re gonna talk about it,” Cook said.
Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3088 include many of the “general laborers” that make the city run behind the scenes.
They include motor equipment operators at the water and wastewater treatment plants; community development workers; snow plow operators; utility collectors; police records clerks and 9-1-1 communications workers; court clerks; water meter installers; Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport employees; maintenance workers; Clear Fork reservoir workers and employees at the parks department.
No one on City Council commented on Cook’s remarks, which came during the public participation portion of the session.
After the meeting, Mayor Tim Theaker said he had heard “conflicting information” on AFSCME’s plans to exercise the “me too” clause.
“I heard they were, and I heard they weren’t and I heard they were … No, I wasn’t surprised,” the mayor said, adding he didn’t know how the re-opened contract discussions could impact a budget that council described as tight.
“I don’t know. We will just have to review everything,” he said.
Theaker said Public Works Director Dave Remy and Human Resources Director Sharon May will negotiate with the union and provide him with a report.
He said any changes would likely be done in the form of a “memorandum of understanding” that would be voted on by the union and City Council.
The city’s current three-year contract with the Blue and Gold units of the Fraternal Order of Police William Taylor Lodge 32 was not set to expire until July 31.
The Blue unit represents police officers while the Gold unit represents command officers — captains, lieutenants and sergeants.
City Council’s March 1 vote on an MOU with the FOP members — making the pay increases and retention bonuses effective immediately — followed an executive session.
The action came in an attempt to stop an already short-staffed MPD from losing officers to other law enforcement agencies offering more money.
Stephanie Zader, an At-large council member, said after the March 1 meeting the city is in “dire need of officers.”
“Partially due to retirements, but also due in big part to other departments recruiting our officers. Wayne County departments specifically have changed their recruiting packages to recruit our officers with better pay than we are offering,” she said.
Zader said the City of Wooster changed its policy of only allowing lateral transfers from adjoining counties to specifically include Richland County.
“If we want to keep the citizens of Mansfield safe, we had to take quick action to correct this issue,” she said.
In addition to pay increases, each officer will receive a one-time retention bonus of $6,500, according to the MOU.
FOP members will also receive 2.5-percent pay increases in each of the second and third years of the contract.
The city is also in contract negotiations with the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 266. Its current labor deal with that union is due to expire at the end of March.
