Controversy Swirls Around Failed Union Contract Amendment

By Gordon HopkinsA proposal to raise the wages of union city staff by as much as 20 percent, defeated by the Fairbury City Council last week, has stirred controversy both for the dollar amount and how the vote came about.Raising Wages According to Fairbury Mayor Spencer Brown, raising salaries was “an urgent issue was brought to the personnel committee from the line superintendent (Nate Francis).”Currently, union employees of the city receive a three percent increase annually, in accordance with the union contract. Dated October 1, 2022, through September 30, 2025, the contract does not come up for renegotiation for another year. But Mayor Brown believed a wage increase is needed now to stem the tide of employee loss and has accused an outside company of “poaching” Fairbury’s electric workers, although he would not name the company. The mayor told FJN, “Turnover is a part of business, this was a very specific recruitment of our line employees by an outside company. Most positions can be filled fairly quick and do not require very specific training, licenses or certifications. That is not the case for seasoned journeyman lineman. The line department is the top critical utility in our city, if something were to happen, it cannot be easily repaired and the services to repair those problems are limited.”Personnel Committee Meeting Discussions On July 2, 2024, the personnel committee, made up of four members of the city council, including chair Doug Brown, John Ebke, Tim Polson and Brian Schmidt, met to discuss the issue of giving raises to union employees. Also present for the meeting was the mayor and city clerk Erin Reimer.The mayor told FJN, “The personnel committee gave recommendations to our legal counsel to draft the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding).”Legal counsel then shared the MOU with union representatives.According to the MOU, city employees that would have received a 20 percent increase included the Deputy City Clerk, Line Foreman, Lineman First Class, Lineman Second Class and Lineman Third Class/Groundperson. All remaining bargaining unit positions would have received a 13 percent increase.The MOU does not include non-union employees. While no vote was taken, two of the four committee members later voted against the measure, Doug Brown and Tim Polson. The mayor said he had no idea they were opposed and questioned why they did not bring up their opposition at the meeting, “Not in 100 years would I of guessed that Tim and Doug were not on board with what was proposed during that committee meeting.”The mayor asked at the city council meeting on Aug. 20: “From the time of this meeting until the council meeting where Doug Brown announced that it was not voted on by personnel after it was drafted, why did he wait to announce it then? Why would he not call another personnel committee meeting immediately? As chairman I would think that is his responsibility.”MOU RejectedThe MOU was rejected at a meeting of the city council on Tuesday, Aug. 20, by a vote of five to three. For those city council members that voted no, they indicated that they were not opposed to a raise but were opposed to the amount. Council President Kelly Davis said, “I’ve talked to quite a few business owners and quite a few citizens, and there’s not one in an agreement with the 20 percent rate, and they’re the ones that pay the wages.”“I have a hard time with 20 percent. I just, I really do,” said City Councilperson Phil Rogge. “I can take a smaller percent.”“This is the problem, guys,” said City Councilperson Brad Kuzelka. “If we price ourselves to the point, I mean, this is what happened to the police department. We got a big raise, and then we can’t afford and then you’re gone. So we’re in the same boat. If we pay them more, we can’t afford them it, and they’re gone; or we don’t pay them enough, and then we don’t have anybody working, they’re gone. So, there’s a fine line we have to ride.”City Councilperson John Ebke, who voted for the measure, noted, “Well, in the city, specifically, we have lost 21 people in the last two years. Seven of those are from the line department. That’s the equivalent of the entire department.”After the meeting, Davis, who is president of the council and Spencer Brown’s opponent in the upcoming mayoral election, elaborated on his position. “I am not against raises, and feel we need to give raises, but not of the magnitude proposed all at once, I proposed a five percent a year for four years.”Davis noted that he didn’t just object to the amount but also the process by which the vote came about, “I didn’t like the way it all went down. From what I understand, the employees were pretty much told they were getting these raises, even before it was brought to council.”“I was told by the Mayor, when I asked about adjusting wages back in the first part of the year, that according to the Unions Collective Bargaining Agreement adjustments could not be made until October 1, 2025,” said Davis.“Davis criticized Brown for wanting to negotiate a key term to the agreement “As I said Tuesday night, I really question the timing of all of this, with election just around the corner. The Personnel Committee didn’t even vote to present it to the full council.”“My vote has cost me some votes and a few friends, I’m sure, but I can sleep at night knowing I did the right thing. I look forward to more negotiations and getting everyone the raise they deserve, raises the city can afford, and done the proper way.”Brian Schmidt, who voted in favor of the increase, told FJN, “While it is the responsibility of the council to be fiscally responsible, it is also our responsibility to maintain a strong and dependable workforce. In this case I strongly believe we need to spend the extra money to retain our current staff and to attract new talent to fill our multiple job openings. I think we have been a little too conservative for too long and have now found ourselves in a hole.“I’ve been asked several times: Why not try a stair-stepped approach and spread this cost out over several years? If we try to offer five percent over four years, rather than 20 percent all at once, we will never make up that kind of gap. Also, a promised raise four years down the road will not attract and new applicants to apply now. We need skilled labor now,” said Schmidt. “Finally, I would like to say, investing money into our community should not be considered a waste. We spend money on trucks, streets, parks, and all sorts of infrastructure because it all needs updating. Spending money on people is no different. An investment in our staff will only have a positive impact on our community.”When asked if he would be requesting a revised MOU for a lower amount, Mayor Brown gave a single word response, “No.”

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