Wauconda public works, clerical employees get pay raises under new contract
Eighteen of Wauconda's municipal employees will receive pay raises of up to 2.5% under a newly approved four-year labor contract.
The pact - between the village and the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Local No. 2904 - applies to 15 public works department employees, two administrative assistants at village hall and one utility billing clerk.
The village board approved the deal Tuesday.
The previous contract expired April 30. The new deal is retroactive to May 1 and runs through April 30, 2024.
Under the contract, the affected employees will receive 2.25% pay raises the first year and 2.5% raises in each of the next three years.
Additionally, the employees will have to contribute more toward their health insurance premiums starting in 2021, Village Administrator Kevin Timony said. Insurance deductibles and out-of-pocket maximum amounts will increase, too.
The changes will reduce the village's insurance-related costs and match terms in recent contracts with the unions representing police officers and sergeants, Timony said.
Negotiations began in March but were temporarily delayed because of the COVID-19 crisis. Timony described the negotiation process as "very smooth."
"Both sides worked well together toward a successor agreement," he said.
Union representative Christopher Hooser also spoke positively about the negotiations.
"We have enjoyed a decent working relationship with the village for some time," he said. "The local union leadership and our members found the new agreement to be fair."