St. Charles approves wage-freeze pact with Teamsters, IBEW

St. Charles aldermen Monday approved contracts with two city unions that agreed to wage freezes in exchange for a promise of no layoffs over the next year.

The agreements with public works employees and electrical workers affect about half of the city's union work force

City spokeswoman Beth Mund said the city council voted unanimously at a special meeting to approve contracts with Teamsters Local 330 and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 196. The action followed intense negotiations that centered on the city's efforts to cut costs.

Initially, officials wanted union employees also to take six unpaid days off a year. But the unions resisted, saying the pay cuts would not affect department heads and several salaried employees.

The bargaining turned politically contentious last week, when both the Teamsters and the firefighters' union endorsed mayoral challenger Jotham Stein over incumbent Don DeWitte.

As of Monday, the firefighters' union and a fledgling police sergeants' union still were trying to negotiate a contract for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins May 1.

The city is trying to finalize agreements by mid-April so there's time for a public hearing before passing along the 2009-10 fiscal year budget to the full city council for a vote.