MANSFIELD — Mansfield City Council was scheduled to vote Tuesday night on a fact-finder’s for a new labor contract with American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3088.
Now it appears local lawmakers may also vote on a new contract with the union that represents about 150 city workers in a variety of departments.
On Tuesday at 9:26 a.m., council Clerk Delaine Weiner emailed a notice of emergency legislation about the new contract City Council will have before it tonight.
The agreement itself was not made public and won’t be until after the two sides would approve it.
According to the email, the legislation would authorize the “mayor, safety-service director, public works director and the human resources director to enter into a collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3088.”
The union’s current three-year deal with the city expired at the end of April 2024 and contract negotiations have been ongoing.
Mayor Jodie Perry said if lawmakers approve the fact-finder’s report that her administration wanted to be prepared to proceed with a possible vote on the contract itself.
“In the event (the fact-finder’s report) was accepted, which we won’t know until tonight, we wanted to have companion legislation ready for council, as well, for consideration,” Perry said Tuesday morning.
The union members voted on the fact-finder’s report on Monday, but the results were not yet announced. A message was left Tuesday morning for Local 3088 President Buck VanDyke.
An executive session is likely tonight involving the fact-finder’s report and the new contract. Labor agreements are one of the reasons allowed under Ohio law for a closed-door session. Any votes must be done in public session.
Union members 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.
While those contract negotiations have been going on the longest, the city also has contract talks with the International Association of Firefighters Local 266 and the Mansfield Fraternal Order of Police William Taylor Lodge 32.
The city’s three-deal with the firefighters union expired March 31 and the deal with the local police unions also expired this year on July 31.
