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Berkeley city workers press council for larger COLAs and stronger contract terms
Summary
Union representatives told the council that many city workers are behind on cost-of-living adjustments, urged retroactive pay and CPI/AMI-linked raises, and warned understaffing will hamper service delivery without better compensation.
Union leaders and city employees used a special public-comment period at the Berkeley City Council meeting on Oct. 29 to press elected officials for higher cost-of-living adjustments, retroactive pay and stronger contract protections.
"We have to have our colas reflect that because as inflation goes up...it starts to devalue it," Winston Ingram, president of PEU Local 1, said, urging the council to negotiate a "fair cola" for city employees. Jose Guerrero, a library worker and CSU PTLA board member, added that staff have been out of contract since the end of June and that a 93% strike authorization vote shows broad support for stronger terms.
Union speakers asked the council to link wage increases to CPI and area median income and to negotiate retroactive pay and parental-leave protections. "We are planners, parks workers, inspectors, health workers...these are the same workers that have had a 93% strike authorization vote," Guerrero said, framing the demands as essential to recruitment and retention.
Speakers also cited apparent pay disparities between elected officials and workers; one commenter summarized worker-facing COLA percentages, and union leaders said many employees can no longer afford to live near Berkeley. Council members acknowledged hearing the testimony and the mayor set aside time for the unions to speak, but the meeting record did not show immediate council action to change contract terms.
The union appeals came during a dedicated five-minute-per-union public-comment block the council agreed to at the start of the meeting. The contract negotiations remain ongoing; union representatives said they had withdrawn some proposals (parental leave and lactation policy) to demonstrate good-faith bargaining and asked the council to act on those topics in ordinance form if possible.
