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Council ratifies clerks' union contract; proposed four-day options prompt service-hour questions
Summary
Council approved a collective bargaining agreement with the clerks' unit covering 2025-2028. The contract includes provisions that allow staff schedule changes, and councilors raised concerns about a potential 4-day municipal workweek and effects on public service hours.
The Ellsworth City Council ratified a collective bargaining agreement between the city and the clerks' unit (Laborers district council local represented in minutes) covering July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028.
The agreement was approved in executive session and brought to the public meeting for confirmation. Council discussion noted the agreement contains schedule language that could enable a shift toward condensed workweeks at city hall; councilors and the city manager discussed possible schedules and emphasized that the city retains management rights to set hours. One councilor raised concerns about moving to a four-day, ten-hour workweek and whether that change would reduce public access to city services; other councilors said many municipalities have adopted alternative schedules and that a compressed week can help recruitment and retention.
Manager Pierce and council members said staff will continue to consult with employees and evaluate operational impacts, and councilors asked for further review before any comprehensive shift in city office hours. The contract vote passed.
