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Mesa Water District OKs agreement giving employees 5 years of pay raises

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Mesa Water District board members gave unanimous approval Thursday to the terms of a new five-year contract that would provide most district employees with wage increases, additional paid holidays and paid time off for jury duty.

The agreed-upon deal points will now be woven into a formal document.

For the record:

11:25 a.m. Dec. 19, 2017This article originally stated that the contract agreement would need to return to the board for final approval. In fact, the board authorized the district general manager to sign the contract without another vote by the board.

The agreement with the Mesa Water District Employees Assn. — which includes 32 employees and is affiliated with the larger Orange County Employees Assn. — would run through Dec. 31, 2022.

Represented workers would receive annual wage increases of 2% in 2018, 2019 and 2020, 2.5% in 2021 and 3% in 2022.

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The raises are projected to result in a 2% total increase to Mesa Water’s budget over the life of the agreement, according to district General Manager Paul Shoenberger. Association members also would be eligible for additional bonuses and salary adjustments based on job performance.

“Our negotiating team is due great honor for having provided an excellent agreement, well within the board’s parameters,” board Vice President Fred Bockmiller said Thursday.

Under the agreement, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve would become paid holidays in the district.

Employees also would be entitled to take seven business days off for jury duty without losing pay. Additional time could be granted with the general manager’s approval but could not exceed 15 business days.

Mesa Water and the employee association have agreed to create a joint working group to review topics such as health benefits, life insurance, the employee wellness program, “cost containment strategies related to healthcare” and “potential Affordable Care Act strategies,” according to the pact.

That effort is “in the interest of fostering strong employee-employer relations and good communications,” the agreement states.

luke.money@latimes.com

Twitter @LukeMMoney

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