Yelm approves three-year Teamsters contract with across-the-board wage and longevity increases

The Yelm City Council on Feb. 11 authorized the mayor to sign a tentative three-year collective bargaining agreement with Teamsters Local Union No. 252 covering 2025, 2026 and 2027.

Council members were presented a summary of the tentative agreement by a city staff member, who said bargaining began April 16, 2024, produced nine bargaining sessions and one mediation session, and was ratified by Teamsters membership on Jan. 29, 2025.

The contract contains no nonmonetary changes, the staff presentation said, and includes several monetary adjustments for 2025 and scheduled cost-of-living adjustments for subsequent years. The city staff member summarized the principal changes: standby employees will receive $50 per day (up from $31.43 per day); a larger clothing allowance; a 5.5% average market wage adjustment for 2025 that complements a consumer price index adjustment; position-specific market adjustments for several classifications; a 3% COLA in 2026 and a 3% COLA in 2027; a seasonal 5% pay add for certified aquatics facility operators during May–September; and a newly added longevity schedule that phases in 2%–5% increases for employees at specified service milestones.

Specific position adjustments listed during the presentation included a 4.3% increase for maintenance worker equipment operator and collections technician classifications; a 1.1% increase for maintenance worker mechanic; a 5.3% increase for Water Operator I; a roughly 1.2% increase for Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator I; and a 1% increase for the wastewater treatment plant operator lead. The presenter also read the longevity schedule: 2% at eight years, 3% at 13 years, 4% at 18 years and 5% at 23 years of service.

Councilmember Wood thanked staff involved in the bargaining process: “I’d just like to say thank you for all your effort. I know this was a quite a battle we had on our hands there, and it it was drawn out and took a lot of time. And thank you for all your efforts,” Wood said.

Councilmember Palmer moved to authorize the mayor to sign the agreement; the motion was seconded and the council voted to approve it. The council’s vote was recorded as “motion carries” during the meeting transcript; no roll-call vote with individual yes/no counts was provided in the record.

The contract was presented to the council as the final agreement following membership ratification by the Teamsters on Jan. 29, 2025; the agreement will now be signed by the mayor and implemented according to the contract timelines.

Ending: The council approved the mayor’s execution of the Teamsters Local 252 collective bargaining agreement; the city will implement the wage and longevity adjustments as described in the contract materials presented to the council.