San Jose city workers will not walk off the job, at least for now. The city announced Friday that it reached tentative agreements on Oct. 8 with its two largest employee groups, the Municipal Employees' Federation (MEF) and the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), and said residents should expect no disruption of services.
What's in the deal
According to the city's statement, the contracts include 3% wage increases in each of three years, with a possible extra 1% in the third year if the General Fund meets surplus thresholds. Workers would also get an immediate one-time cash payment equal to 1% of pay to help with recent price increases, plus safeguards related to artificial intelligence.
IFPTE Local 21, which represents the city's management, engineering and maintenance supervisor associations, said AI guardrails and employee retention were among members' top priorities. Carlos Murillo, an associate engineer at San Jose Mineta International Airport and a member of the union's bargaining team, called the agreement an important step forward while noting there is still a process to complete.
How close it came
Negotiations began in February, and workers have been without a contract since June 30. After stalled talks and fact-finding with a third-party arbitrator in mid-September, members of IFPTE Local 21 and MEF-AFSCME Local 101 voted 97% in early August to authorize a strike of up to three days. On Oct. 5, the South Bay Labor Council, which represents more than 105 unions in Santa Clara and San Benito counties, unanimously approved a strike sanction in support.
What happens next
Union members are expected to vote on the tentative agreements during the week of Oct. 12, with results expected Oct. 19, the city said. The contracts would still need to go through the city's formal approval process after ratification.