San José's biggest labor fight of the year is mostly over. On Tuesday, Oct. 27, the City Council unanimously approved new contracts covering about 4,000 city workers in IFPTE Local 21 and MEF-AFSCME Local 101, according to San José Spotlight and the city.

What workers get

  • 3% raises in each of the contract's three years
  • A possible extra 1% in the third year
  • A one-time 1% lump sum
  • New safeguards on artificial intelligence in city work

The holdout

Members of AMSP, a smaller city bargaining unit, voted to reject their tentative agreement, the Spotlight reports, so their contract is still unsettled.

Why it mattered

The deals, first reached in October, headed off what the Spotlight says would have been the largest city worker strike in San José since 1981. The city is working with a roughly $5.5 billion budget and a projected $50 million deficit. Mayor Matt Mahan and District 5 Councilmember Peter Ortiz both commented on the agreements, the Spotlight reports.

Background: San José reaches tentative deals with its largest city unions, averting a strike.