HOUSTON — There’s change in the air, and it’s not just the weather.
Members of AFSCME HOPE Local 123 and the City of Houston have agreed to a new, three-year contract that will provide municipal employees with higher wages that will take effect around Nov. 1 and more secure benefits.
The two sides negotiated the expansive tentative agreement last month and a majority of HOPE Local 123 members voted for it. On Oct. 23, the Houston City Council voted for the contract to go into effect.
Among the highlights: A minimum wage increase that will gradually rise from $15 to $18, a 50% increase in second-shift premium pay, and early retirement incentives starting at the age of 60.
According to Sandra Otoya, an administrative manager for the Houston Fire Department and HOPE Local 123’s recording secretary, these improvements will make a big difference as residents of the nation’s fourth-largest city are experiencing record cost-of-living increases.
“I'm super happy with everything else that we negotiated and that we got in this contract so far. This is one of the best contracts,” said Otoya. “Everybody's been hurting. Inflation is going up and people are struggling with the cost of living. Improving our compensation and retirement were huge wins.”
Workers also won enhanced union rights and access to the workplace. From language that allows union stewards into meetings, to more inclusivity for the departmental labor-management cooperation councils,these provisions are fundamental to enforcing the contract.
For Otoya, union rights were crucial.
“There’s strength in numbers,” Otoya said. “The groups that we pulled together, the relationships we made, and the conversations that we had — it was huge. Improving this whole contract and getting it done was only possible because we were able to work together.”