Mayor Ballantyne delivers landmark contract tackling wage bias and boosting pay for SMEA (now SMEU) Unit B

On January 9, 2025, in Latest News, by The Somerville Times

14%-17% average salary increases informed by Mayor’s push to eliminate wage bias. — Photos courtesy of the City of Somerville

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne announced today the ratification of a new contract with the Somerville Municipal Employees Union (SMEU, until recently, called SMEA) Unit B that includes unprecedented wage increases designed to address long-standing wage bias. The new contract includes average salary adjustments between 14% and 17% in fiscal year 2025.

The three-year agreement developed by the Administration and Union leadership covers fiscal years 2023-2025 and is based on deep analysis of more than 90 different jobs and compensation in over a dozen comparable communities in the Greater Boston Area.

The SMEU represents three bargaining units within the city. Its Unit B is the city’s largest bargaining unit with employees in approximately 25 departments citywide, including Public Works, Water and Sewer, Library, City Clerk, Parking, and Inspectional Services. The new contract not only provides improved wages and benefits for these vital employees but builds in corrective wage adjustments (also known as market adjustments). These market adjustments are based on the city’s Wage and Compensation Study, which was conducted to ensure comparable pay for comparable work for employees across all departments.

The agreement establishes wages competitive with top-paying peer communities and corrects for bias and discrepancies between departments and individual positions. In the first two years of the contract, all Unit B members’ wages will increase 6%. In the third year of the contract, starting wages will go up on average 17%, and wages for existing employees will receive a market adjustment increase of an average of 14%. The new contract also includes significant enhancements to Unit B members’ vacation, family medical leave, and other benefits. Mayor Ballantyne and union leadership signed the initial tentative agreement on January 6, and Union membership ratified it on January 8. The contract will next go to the City Council for funding approval.

“This contract takes on so much more than inflation. We sent an arrow right at the heart of long-standing bias—that’s gender bias, class bias, and educational bias that is pervasive in our society. And we took a hard look at benefits that needed updating as well for these critical workers,” said Mayor Katjana Ballantyne. “Throughout the bargaining process both the city and the Union acted in good faith, and I would like to thank the SMEU leadership for partnering with us to go beyond the usual adjustments to create long-term equity for our employees. I’m honored and proud to be part of a process that once again has Somerville leading the way.”

SMEU Union President Ed Halloran stated that, “as a 32-year veteran working for the city’s DPW, this may be the best contract the members of this union have ever received and it’s a tribute to the members of the bargaining committee, union officers, and the members who have worked on the job in person through COVID, as well as an administration and union that together bargained in good faith.”

The agreement includes, among other enhancements, several important updates that will improve workers’ compensation and benefits:

Compensation:

Salary increases informed by the Wage Compensation Study:
- A retroactive 3% annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for each of the first two years of the contract (FY23 and FY24) totaling 6% over the two years
- In year 3 (FY25 starting July 1, 2024), starting wages for new employees will be market adjusted between 3%-46%, with the average increase to a Unit B starting salary increasing 17%
- In year 3, wages for existing Unit B employees will be market adjusted between 4% and 33%, with an average increase of 14%
Increases to seniority bonuses:
- Seniority bonuses will be increased at several levels of the Longevity Scale to establish equity with other city unions

Other Benefits upgrades include:

Paid Family and Medical Leave: SMEU Unit B employees will now be eligible for the city’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program, which the city is in the process of implementing and will provide eight weeks of paid leave for qualifying absences, including parental leave, under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
Increased Vacation and Earlier Access: The agreement increases vacation by an additional week at each tier over current accruals and introduces access to paid vacation after six months of employment (previously there was a 1-year waiting period).

Other enhancements:

Tripling of the stipend paid to employees that regularly drive personal vehicles for city business, while also significantly increasing the mileage reimbursement rate paid to employees that drive intermittently for city business
$150 increase to the annual clothing allowance
Modernized payroll practices through the implementation of direct deposit and paperless pay stubs, which will allow the city to more efficiently administer employee compensation

The unprecedented anti-bias and market wage adjustments were based on reclassification of all Unit B positions as informed by the city’s Wage and Compensation Study. Previously, employees were classified by department, which resulted in independent wage scales for each department. The study allowed the city an opportunity to establish a framework for classifying and paying employees comparably for performing similar job functions across departments. As a result, the city can now pay people equitably for doing similar work citywide.

The new three-year agreement reflects the city’s commitment to supporting its essential personnel while ensuring the effective delivery of services.

“In Somerville, my goal is to be sure we’re a city where every worker is compensated fairly, and this contract is a big step towards equity that is decades overdue. We must do right by our workers – all our workers. When we ensure our staff are properly valued, it’s a win-win. Our workers are fairly paid, and we can attract and retain the best talent and staff to serve our community,” said Mayor Ballantyne.

— City of Somerville