St. Petersburg and Florida Public Service Union at impasse, again, over pay raises
ST. PETERSBURG — Negotiations between the city and the union representing city workers have broken down, raising the odds of yet another year the City Council may be forced to approve a budget without knowing labor costs.
A bargaining session between the Florida Public Service Union and the city ended Wednesday at an impasse, mainly over pay raises for about 250 newly organized professionals such as engineers, chemists and technology workers.
The union wanted higher raises for professional workers with seniority. For many years during the recession, those workers saw their pay cut or frozen.
Rick Smith, the union's chief of staff, said any professional with at least seven years of experience, for instance, should get 5 percent raises to help make up for the lean years and to deal with recent hires making more money than veterans.
Read more: http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/st-pete-and-union-at-impasse-again-over-pay-raises/2290118