New three-year contract provides salary increases to 122 municipal employee positions in Yorba Linda

 Salary increases are included in the three-year agreements reached with Yorba Linda municipal employees. Each agreement has been approved by the employee associations and unanimous vote by City Council members earlier this month.

The agreements are retroactive to July 1 and extend through June 30, 2027. First-year salary increase is 6%, with second and third year increases of 3%. The salaries and other terms are for all 122 employee positions.

First-year cost for the salary increases will be $626,262, with 80% from the city's general fund, 15% from the library fund and 5% from the Landscape Maintenance Assessment District fund.

The agreement with the city's largest body of employees, termed “miscellaneous employees,” was reached after several weeks of negotiations with Orange County Employees Association, which represents 76 employee positions in the city.

The 34-page agreement contains much of the same language as the previous three-year pact that ran through June 30, except New Years' Eve was added to the city's prior 12 holidays. An added section includes creation of an eight-member labor-management committee.

The section notes: “Meetings will be held to promote communication and cooperation between the parties to improve work quality and safety, and to address matters of mutual concern other than individual grievances.”

Provisions for vacation, two weeks for employees serving one to three years, three weeks for employees serving four to nine years and four weeks for employees serving 10 or more years, remain the same.

Monthly salaries for this employee group range from $4,401 through $!0,524 after five steps through June 30. The prior agreement gave 2% increases for each of the three years, and a 4% lump sum one-time payment the first year.

The same salary increases and much of the same language appears in the 28-page agreement with the city's mid-management employees covering 38 positions. First-year salaries range from $7,488 to $16,457 monthly for the group represented by the Mid-Management Association.

The city's eight management positions are not represented by an association or union, and they are traditionally granted the same percentage salary increases as the two other groups. Salary ranges are $16,437 to $19,860 monthly for each position, except for the city manager.

The positions include assistant city manager and directors for administrative services, community development, finance, library, parks and recreation and public works, with the latter also serving as city engineer.

In a separate action, council members granted the same 6% salary increase to City Manager Mark Pulone, who began his 11th year of employment with the city July 2. His $17,352 salary increase brings his total to $306,565 for the fiscal year ending June 30.

Terms in the 11th amendment to Pulone's original 2013 agreement remain the same. The amendment extends through Sept. 30, 2026.