Unalaska, AK – The last contract negotiations between the Public Safety Employees Association and the city took almost three years to complete. The new contract negotiation took almost two days and was officially approved by the city council Tuesday night. Council member Dick Peck said he was extraordinarily pleased with the process and the outcome. Public safety union president Jennifer Shockley agreed.

"I think both sides went into it with some very realistic expectations and a sincere desire to negotiate. Both parties were well prepared for the negotiations. There was a lot of give and take, good conversations on both sides. And I think the big thing was both parties were very realistic about what we could expect to see from the other side based on the economy, past history, projected expenditures, projected expenses, for both sides."

One of the major sticking points in the last negotiation was wage increases. This time both sides agreed to 3 percent merit increases per year for employees who have not hit the top step. All employees will receive an additional 2 percent cost of living increase for the third year of the contract. Shockley said the PSEA also decided not to press policy issues that were sticking points during the last negotiation.

"They were issues that were not of such great import that we felt like we needed to carry them all the way through two or three years of struggling to come to a resolution," she said.

At the end of the previous negotiations and arbitration last November, the city council voted against accepting the wage increases put forth by the arbitrator. The PSEA had discussed taking the city to court over the decision because they viewed the process as binding arbitration. Shockley said the PSEA has decided not to pursue the matter in court.