The City of Long Beach has reached a tentative three-year labor agreement with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), which represents City employees in the Skilled and General Basic and Supervisor Units. Previously represented by the Association of Long Beach Employees (ALBE), the Skilled and General Basic and Supervisor Units are now represented by IBEW and will have a consolidated Memorandum of Understanding under IBEW for both the General Basic and Supervisor Units.
“We are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “I want to thank IBEW leadership for their support and work in reaching this agreement – one that ensures fair wages and equity.”
The City and IBEW worked collaboratively on a tentative agreement to support fair and competitive compensation for City employees in light of the current competitive job market. To achieve this, the City and the Union concentrated on an equity driven approach aiming to elevate as many job classifications as possible that were below the market rate by providing an “equity adjustment” ranging from 1% to 20%, depending on how far the classification was below the market rate:
- 1%: classifications 0 to 10% below market median.
- 8%: classifications 10 to 20% below market median.
- 12 to 17%: classifications 20 to 40% below market median.
- 20%: classifications 40% or more below market median.
This approach not only ensures that City employees are fairly compensated for retention and recruitment purposes, but also helps maintain the City’s competitiveness and attractiveness as an employer of choice. In addition, negotiations for the Supervisor Unit focused on ensuring a fair supervisory differential between the supervisors and their staff, which will support employee relations and recruitment and retention.
“This tentative agreement is equitable, competitive and reflective of the value of our Skilled and General Basic and Supervisor Unit employees,” said City Manager Tom Modica. “I thank our City team who assisted with this negotiation and IBEW leadership for all of their support throughout this negotiation process.”
The tentative agreement also includes the following major terms:
- Three-year contract term from Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2026.
- General wage increases of 3% in the first year, 1% in the second and third years.
- Supervisory differential one-time equity adjustments, as applicable, for specific IBEW Skilled and General supervisory unit classifications ranging from 1% to 20%.
- Skill pay updates such as removal or modification of inactive or obsolete skill pays and addition of new skill pays to support various City department’s new operational needs.
- Increases and modifications to special compensation including night shift differential pay, higher classification pay, standby pay, and boot allowance.
- Revisions to employee benefits including bereavement leave, paid parental leave, extension of vacation accrual maximum cap, sick leave and funding support for the Education Assistance Program.
Prior to reaching this agreement, City and IBEW representatives held three meetings since April 2023. Members of the IBEW voted to ratify the agreement on May 23, 2023. The agreement will be presented to the Long Beach City Council for consideration and public discussion on Oct. 10, 2023. The IBEW represents approximately 660 employees.
About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.
For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.