Union deals net workers raises

HURON — Local officials publicized some noteworthy clauses within the three-year contracts for Huron's four unions. During a recent public meeting, city council members authorized collective bargaining agreements for firefighters, non-safety service employees and two divisions within police operations: patrol officers and sergeants. In total, these agreements cover 40 full-time employees, spanning from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2027. But, in all three years, city administrators and union representatives will reopen negotiations to discuss wages and health care costs. For 2025, "The city and bargaining units did not approve typical percentage increases," Huron city manager Matt Lasko said. "Rather we agreed to an increase to each employee's base salary rate of $1.75." When factoring in just the raises, for this year alone, local taxpayers can expect to spend an extra $150,000 in 2025. "The wage increases, again, will be renegotiated for years 2026 and 2027," Lasko said. Among some other benefits some or all unions received: • All — received modest increases to annual uniform allowances and slight bump-ups for longevity bonuses • Police — secured 12-hour shifts, an increase from eight-hour work days; Officers experimented with longer work times throughout the second half of 2024. "Because it works very well, we all agreed to make this formal contract language," Lasko said. • Fire — obtained what's known as Kelly days, which, in essence, provides each full-time firefighter with an additional six or seven shifts off per year; Huron firefighters work 24-hour shifts. The city administration, however, can eliminate 12-hour police shifts and firefighter Kelly days "if they are operationally not working," Lasko said. Regarding concessions, the most noteworthy item involves all employees contributing more money — from 5% per paycheck to 6% — for health care premium costs. Health care premiums should total $1.6 million in 2025, a record amount for Huron's government, and up from $1.35 million in 2024. "The ability for the city to reopen the contracts in each of the last two years is critical," Lasko said. "The city is experiencing unmanageable increases to our health care costs — and since these costs change annually, we felt we could not fairly and budgetarily agree to wages in 2026 and 2027 without knowing our health care costs." Is this a good deal? In the end, Lasko explained the contract provides more advantages than disadvantages to all involved: union members, city officials and local residents. He pointed out a few major reasons why: • "The city is so appreciative of all members of all bargaining units that were at the negotiating table. Their level of professionalism and intent on finding a deal that was fair, equitable and sustainable was evident." • "These negotiations came at a tenuous time with the recent failure of our income tax increase campaign and a tumultuous health care environment while also acknowledging the city needing to provide benefits to our bargaining units that they were deserving of this that kept the city competitive with wage and benefit packages compared to other communities." • "The benefits negotiated both keep Huron competitive in order to retrain and attract fire, police and service personnel. And, by only agreeing to wages and health care benefits for a single year, the city is provided great flexibility to respond to change to annual health care premiums." • "Finally, some of the additionally provided benefits to the bargaining units — for example, 12-hour shifts for our police department — not only work operationally well for the city but are valued heavily by employees, a true win-win."