New Schaumburg public works contract gives employees 2 percent raises

Schaumburg trustees have approved a new three-year contract with the village’s public works employees’ union, retroactive to May 1, 2013.

The 61 village employees who are members of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 will receive 2 percent raises as of May 1 in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

The union’s previous three-year contract also granted 2 percent raises during its final two years but began with a year without any salary increases in 2010. That contract came at a time when Schaumburg’s budget was particularly hard hit by the recession, Village Manager Brian Townsend said.

A nonfinancial aspect of the new contract involves redefined restrictions on time off during the potential snow and ice period from Nov. 1 through April 1. Under the contract, only two employees per shift can be excused from duty, Townsend said.

A representative of Local 150 could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

The public works contract is the third collective-bargaining contract Townsend has negotiated since becoming village manager in late August.

A union contract for the police department’s command staff was negotiated in November and another for the police department’s rank-and-file officers was signed in December.

Still ahead are negotiations with village staff belonging to American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

The contract with the village’s firefighters will expire on April 30 and their union already has stated its desire to begin negotiations, Townsend said. The village must also negotiate a single-year contract covering May 1 to April 30, 2015, with the fire department’s command staff.