Compton : City Workers Ratify Pact

Members of a Compton municipal employee union representing about 60 clerical and technical workers unanimously ratified a contract offer last week that calls for a 10% pay raise retroactive to August and the promise of another 7% increase in August, 1986.

Although city negotiators made the offer to Local 347 of the Service Employees International Union, it still must go before the City Council for approval, probably next week, union President Yvonne K. Day said.

The proposed salary increases are in line with what the city has already agreed to give its three other employee unions and as well as its so-called unrepresented labor force of middle managers and top administrators.

But the union won a major concession when city negotiators withdrew a plan to slash overtime pay by making union members take compensatory time instead of money until they log at least 240 extra hours. Now, if the council approves the proposed two-year contract, the union members will continue to receive money for any overtime work.

After more than six months of negotiations, the two sides seemed at an impasse until union members staged what city officials described as a one-day sickout on Feb. 3. City officials said the labor action failed to disrupt the normal flow of business at City Hall. That same day, however, city negotiators contacted union leaders and agreed to the selection of a contract arbitrator. By Feb. 12, the current offer was presented to union leaders--without use of an arbitrator--and it was approved by workers on Feb. 20.

City officials did not return several calls seeking their comment.