Fort Pierce commission adopts 5% or $1.20 wage adjustment for Teamsters unit, retroactive to Oct. 1

The Fort Pierce City Commission voted 4'to'1 on March 19, 2026, to resolve an impasse with Teamsters Local 769's general employees unit by adopting a pay adjustment of 5% or $1.20 per hour, whichever is greater, retroactive to Oct. 1. The commission also directed staff to monitor payroll lines and report back on how the additional cost will be covered.

The dispute centered on a 40'cent gap between the parties' proposals for the lowest paid employees: the union proposed a $1.60-per-hour minimum increase while the city offered 5% or $1.20, whichever is higher. "Both the union and the city agree on the 5% wage increase," Teamsters representative Steve Myers said in his opening. "The question before you today is not whether the employees should receive a raise, but ... will the raise be meaningful to the employees who need it most'the employees who are at the bottom of the pay range?" He added, "That is our impasse." (Steve Myers, Teamsters representative.)

City attorneys and staff presented the budget implications of each option. JK Keller, counsel for the city, said the city had budgeted a 5% increase at a total cost of about $456,000 and that the city's alternative (5% or $1.20) would add roughly $34,015 to that figure. "We are about halfway through the current fiscal year," Keller said, arguing the commission should consider budget sustainability and longer-term implications for future negotiations. (JK Keller, city attorney.)

Human-resources numbers presented at the hearing showed the bargaining unit includes about 139 employees. HR Manager Jared Sorensen testified the city's analysis found 79 employees would remain below the $1.20 threshold under the city plan, while 124 employees fall below a $1.60 threshold under the union proposal. "Those brought up to a minimum of a dollar 60 is a 124," Sorensen said when explaining the counts. (Jared Sorensen, HR manager.)

Finance Director Miss Morris told commissioners the extra cost for the union's proposal would likely come from the city's fund balance and cautioned that other unanticipated obligations are already pressing on reserves. "It would have to come from our fund balance reserves," she said, noting the city faces major repair and other unbudgeted bills. (Miss Morris, Finance Director.)

During deliberations commissioners weighed the policy and fiscal trade-offs. Commissioner Johnson urged monitoring of payroll lines and a first-quarter snapshot to see whether vacancies or timing could cover the near-term cost; Commissioner Broderick and others emphasized the legal openness of the commission's authority to fashion any remedy. The commission considered and rejected a motion for 5% or $1.45 (which died for lack of a second) before approving the 5% or $1.20 motion. Commissioner Zadofsky moved the final measure; Commissioner Broderick seconded it. The roll call was: Commissioner Broderick ' Yes; Commissioner Zadofsky ' Yes; Commissioner Gaines ' No; Commissioner Johnson ' Yes; Mayor Hudson ' Yes.

The vote also included an explicit direction that the city's pay ranges (minimum and maximum for each classification) be increased by 5%. City staff said adjusting the ranges is meant to preserve longer-term competitiveness for future hires and does not create an immediate additional cost beyond the wage award. The commission asked staff to return with an update on first-quarter payroll results and a plan for how the $34,015 (the city's estimated additional near-term cost for the adopted option) will be funded if vacancies and other line-item savings do not cover it.

The hearing was conducted under procedures agreed to by both parties; City Attorney Miss Hedges noted the proceeding was governed by Florida Statutes section 447.403 and that the commission, as the legislative body, was rendering the final decision. The commission adjourned after the vote.

(Reporting based exclusively on the March 19, 2026 Fort Pierce City Commission impasse hearing transcript.)