Council approves 2026 contract for dispatchers and clerical union Local 503
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Summary
The finance committee and common council approved a limited collective bargaining agreement with dispatchers and clerical union Local 503: clerical staff receive a 2.64% CPI increase and dispatchers see pay‑grade consolidation with a 2% COLA and a new base rate of $31.44/hr effective Jan. 1, 2026.
The West Bend Finance Committee and the Common Council approved a 2026 collective bargaining agreement with the dispatchers and clerical union Local 503 on Dec. 1. City staff described the agreement as narrow in scope because state law (Act 10) limits bargaining for this unit primarily to wages and cost‑of‑living adjustments.
City finance staff said clerical employees would receive a Consumer Price Index‑based wage adjustment capped at 2.64%. For dispatchers, the contract reduces three pay grades down to two, moves employees up a grade (for example, grade 3 to 2 and grade 2 to 1) and provides a 2% cost‑of‑living adjustment. The new base dispatcher wage was presented as $31.44 per hour. Staff said the effective date for the agreement, if ratified, is Jan. 1, 2026, and that the increases were included in the city’s 2026 budget estimates.
The finance committee moved and approved the agreement at its meeting earlier in the evening; council approved the same item on the consent agenda during the council meeting. Council members asked whether the increases were budgeted for 2026; staff confirmed the costs were fully accounted for.
No roll‑call vote listing individual yes/no votes was recorded for the consent agenda in the transcript; the item passed by voice vote as part of the consent agenda.