Unalaska, AK – The city and the Inland Boatmen's Union of the Pacific, which represents the ports employees, successfully negotiated and ratified a collective agreement bargaining agreement last week. The new contract includes a 3 percent per year increase in wages for some employees. Shop steward Tim Mahoney said employees who were above step 10 only get a three percent increase for the first year and a 1.5 percent increase for the next two. The contract also includes a clause which says that if an upcoming wage and compensation study shows that harbor officers are being under paid then their wages will be increased. The contract covers the cost of health insurance as well. It took over a year to negotiate the new contract. The last agreement expired at the end of the last fiscal year, in 2008. The new agreement, including the pay increases, is retroactive to July 1, 2008.

The city also concluded negotiations with the Public Safety Employees Association last week. City Manager Chris Hladick would not release any details until the contract was approved by the city council but it has been ratified by the employees. It took almost three years for the public safety union to negotiate and arbitrate their last contract. That process ended last fall. The new contract negotiations took place over the course of a week.