Council approves collective bargaining agreement setting dispatcher base at $31.44 and CPI‑capped raises
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Summary
Council approved a collective bargaining agreement with dispatchers and clerical union Local 503 that simplifies dispatcher pay grades, sets a new base wage of $31.44/hour for dispatchers, applies a 2% COLA to dispatchers and a 2.64% CPI adjustment for clerical staff effective Jan. 1, 2026.
City staff summarized a proposed 2026 collective bargaining agreement between the City of West Bend and the dispatchers and clerical union Local 503 during the finance committee and the full council consent agenda. Jesse (city staff) told committee members the unit’s bargaining rights are limited under state law (Act 10) to wages tied to the Consumer Price Index; for this agreement the CPI cap used for wage adjustment was 2.64%.
Jesse described changes for dispatchers: the contract would simplify dispatcher pay grades from three to two and move employees up a grade (for example, grade 3 to 2 and 2 to 1), include a 2% cost‑of‑living adjustment for dispatchers, and establish a new base wage for dispatchers at $31.44 per hour, effective Jan. 1, 2026, should the city ratify the agreement. Clerical employees would receive a 2.64% wage adjustment tied to the CPI effective Jan. 1, 2026. Jesse told the finance committee that the increases were fully accounted for in the 2026 budget.
The finance committee voted to approve the agreement after the presentation, and the council approved it as part of the consent agenda later in the meeting.