San Diego lifeguards get 2.5 percent pay hikes as city concludes series of new labor deals

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SAN DIEGO –

San Diego closed labor negotiations for the year by signing a new contract with the city lifeguards, the only group of workers that didn’t agree to a new pact in June.

The city’s 100 year-round and 230 seasonal lifeguards are receiving salary increases of 2.5 percent, which is among the smallest increases the city has approved this year.

Lifeguard salary increases are similar to the 3.2 percent increases for police officers and 2.5 percent for firefighters, but are significantly less than the increases for most other city employees.

Assistant prosecutors received a 12 percent raise over the next two years, blue-collar workers received an 8 percent raise over two years, and white-collar workers received 9 percent over two years.

The city also approved much higher wage levels for workers in targeted jobs where the city pays less than other government agencies. For example, 640 city engineers received a 29 percent increase.

Chris Vanos, the union’s chief steward who represents the city’s lifeguards, said Tuesday that patience and perseverance have paid off.

“It was a difficult negotiation,” Vanos said, explaining that it is difficult to compare lifeguard salaries because roles vary by government agency and a limited number of cities even have beach and bay lifeguards. “We’re pretty happy with it.”

San Diego’s urban lifeguards patrol 23 miles of the seashore and 29 miles of the bay’s coastline. They take on boat safety and rapid water rescue, unusual tasks for urban lifeguards, Vanos said.

Vanos praised Mayor Todd Gloria for his negotiation skills, which Vanos said could usher in a new era of collaboration between the mayor’s office and the city’s lifeguards after years of disagreement.

Vanos is part of a new leadership team for the Lifeguard Union called the Teamsters 911.

“The most important journey you can take in life is to meet people halfway,” said Vanos. “We did that this year.”

Vanos said he looks forward to resuming negotiations on the labor agreement next year this coming winter.

The tariff hikes negotiated by the mayor this year are expected to cost the city around $ 100 million a year if they happen in full. The city’s annual budget, which accounts for about 80 percent of its labor costs, is $ 1.6 billion.

The increases will also add to the city’s pension costs, as workers’ pensions are based on their salaries. The increases are in addition to the automatic increases that city workers receive when they meet certain milestones, such as: B. 5 years or 10 years in the job.

The mayor offered the city’s 19,000 police officers and 900 firefighters smaller increases than other employees because their salaries are not significantly lower than those of their colleagues in other cities.

For example, police officers who received a package of wage increases totaling more than 30 percent in 2017 have moved closer to the average salary for law enforcement in the region.

Several studies of the city over the past five years have shown that many jobs have a pay gap of up to 50 percent when compared to other cities in the region and across California.

Some say it is good for taxpayers when San Diego pays its employees less than other cities. Others say the wage gap often drives talented workers to move to other cities, costing the city institutional knowledge and increasing recruitment and training costs.

The city’s 150 deputy city attorneys received an increase of 12 percent over the next two years – on July 1 and July 2022 by 4 percent and in January 2022 and January 2023 by 2 percent each.

The 1,800 workers received an 8 percent raise over the two years, 4 percent on July 1, and 4 percent in July 2022. These workers are represented by Local 127 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

The 4,000 employees represented by the Municipal Employees’ Association received a 9 percent raise in the two years – 4 percent on July 1 and 5 percent in July 2022. The same increases go to about 300 non-union city workers.

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