Union members urge higher wages, paid bereavement and bilingual pay as National City council continues negotiations

At a special meeting of the National City City Council, union members and public-safety representatives urged elected officials to increase wages and benefits in ongoing contract negotiations, pressing for paid bereavement leave, bilingual pay for part‑time staff and larger across‑the‑board raises.

A union member identified in the record as Andrew said the union appreciated the council’s support for educational benefits and bilingual pay but called the city’s current proposal “way too low.” “We need to take care of ourselves, our loved ones, and keep up with rising costs,” Andrew said, adding that turnover to higher‑paying employers is expensive for the city.

The nut of the unions’ message was that part‑time employees and firefighters are leaving or risk falling behind competing employers. A speaker identified as Carl and others representing the bargaining group pressed for several specific changes, including a cost‑of‑living allowance, an added step F in the wage table, service recognition credits, paid baby‑bonding and bereavement leave, fertility benefits and improved annual leave accruals.

Alex New, identified as library staff, told the council the library has advocated for city‑sponsored paid bereavement leave so staff do not have to exhaust sick or annual leave for a death in the family. “Nearly every city in this county offers some form of paid bereavement leave,” Alex said, arguing the benefit is common practice in other public and private employers.

Jeremy Day, president of the National City Firefighters Association, presented compensation data and argued the firefighters’ proposal reflects current local pay realities. Day said National City firefighters are currently compensated at “17 out of 18” among comparable agencies and that the latest city offer of a 3% increase in year one would only move them to “14 out of 18” initially. He warned that if similar modest increases continue over a multi‑year contract, firefighters could fall further in county rankings.

Speakers said they had prepared detailed counterproposals and asked the council to finish negotiations before the fiscal year closes. One speaker criticized the city’s exchange of contract language during negotiations, saying return drafts were often vague and made it hard for the union to respond with specific redlined language.

Council recessed to closed session on labor negotiations during the meeting; the public comments were made during the agenda item for conference with labor negotiators, and commenters asked the council to adopt the changes they outlined or provide clearer redlined contract language so bargaining teams can reach agreement.

The meeting record shows the union group represents roughly “almost 200 employees,” according to a speaker who identified that number during public comment. The firefighters’ packet submitted to the council for closed‑session review included proposed MOU article changes and a costing summary, according to comment from Jeremy Day.

The council did not take a public vote during the portion of the meeting covered in the record; staff stated closed‑session items would be reported out at the end of the regular council meeting.

Ending: The council’s closed session will include continued labor negotiations; the public comments and materials submitted at the meeting will be part of the closed‑session packet referenced by speakers.