Oregon AFSCME Local 2892 and the City of Coos Bay have signed a new four-year contract. The contract is effective June 1 and runs through December 2016.

The agreement covers about 30 union-represented city workers. Council 75 Staff Representative Rodney McCambridge said both sides walked away from the negotiations feeling that the process had worked.

"I think it's fair to say that both the city and the union felt pleased with the final contract, especially given the current economic landscape of not only the City of Coos Bay, but also the county and the state," said McCambridge.

The Coos Bay-North Bend area has long been hard hit by cutbacks by lumber mills and Pacific fishing/shipping, with Coos County being one of the primary Oregon country jurisdictions struggling from the lack of federal timber receipt payments. Those factors, says McCambridge, quickly trickle down to city government in an economically distressed area.

Some highlights of the contract include:

• A first year wage increase of 2.7 percent, up from the city's initial offer of 1 percent and, importantly to the membership, the same increase as city management will receive in the same time period;

• Wage increases in years two through four of the contract between 2 and 5 percent, based on the Consumer Price Index;

• An increase in vacation hours for those with over 300 months (25 years) of service with the city;

• A boot allowance for employees that work in parks and street shops of $175 per year;

• Insurance co-pays to remain the same for the next four years;

• Improved union leave language;

• Reimbursable continuing education money of $750 per fiscal year per employee; and

• A variety of contract language improvements, including a better definition of "immediate family."

In addition to McCambridge, the Local 2892 Bargaining Team included Local President Deb Erler, Jared Anderson, Crystal Barr, Frank Kaiser, Julie Kremers and Lisa Magill.