A tentative agreement between the city of Los Angeles and thousands of its employees would result in pay raises totaling about 24% over the next several years if the deal is ratified, according to a coalition of unions that has been negotiating a new contract on behalf of its members.
The seven proposed pay raises, to be spread out between April 1, 2024, and July 1, 2028, would increase salaries each time by 2% to 4% for a range of city employees, from recreation and parks employees to sanitation workers, custodians, traffic control officers, Los Angeles World Airports workers, and others.
The five-year contract would also raise the minimum wage to $20 an hour starting April 21 of this year, with additional minimum wage increases in subsequent years until it reaches $25 per hour in June 2026, according to a summary of the tentative agreement that the Coalition of L.A. City Unions shared with its members.
Other highlights of the tentative agreement include:
- A pilot program allowing employees to receive 100% payout for unused sick leave, paid out annually or upon retirement.
- Make permanent what had been a paid parental leave pilot program, and to increase the paid time off to 12 weeks.
- More discussions about potential housing arrangements or remedies to housing-related issues, including: providing mortgage or rent-reduction benefits to employees living in the city or who spend more than than 30% of their disposable income on housing, and adding social or permanent supportive housing units on city-owned property with some units set aside for qualifying city employees.
City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo did not immediately respond to questions on Friday, Jan. 12, about the tentative agreement, including how much the proposed raises would cost and whether the city would need to raise taxes or make cuts elsewhere in its budget to afford the contract.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the cost of the proposed raises and changes in healthcare benefits would…
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