The Oak Lawn Village Board voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a three-year contract with its public works employees that gives them average raises of about 3% per year.
The collective bargaining agreement, which runs from through Dec. 31, 2025, applies to 69 village employees who are represented by the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 Public Employees Division.
The covered employees work not only in the Public Works Department, but also in the Finance Department and police records division.
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Their wages increased 2.75% Jan. 1, 2023, and will increase 3% and 3.25% as of Jan. 1, 2024 and Jan. 1, 2025, respectively.
The contract will cost the village more than $500,000 over its three years, village manager Thomas Phelan said in an email.
The prior contract with Local 150 employees also was for three years and ended Dec. 31.
“The biggest benefit we received was a change to mandatory staffing requirements that triggered unnecessary overtime that could range from $30,000 to $100,000, depending on how bad our winters are,” Phelan wrote.
“Unnecessary overtime due to outdated contract language is one of the biggest problems we face as a village,” he stated. “Local 150 worked with us on this ‘structural’ problem and we came to a fair and reasonable compromise on this issue and others.”
Up to five mechanics may be assigned to work second shift, that is from 3-11 p.m. Monday through Friday. Second shift will pay an additional $1.50 per hour. Mechanics will have the opportunity to bid on shifts, based on seniority.
From mid-December to mid-March, 21 employees from the streets, sewer and water divisions will work from 3-11 p.m. as a temporary winter crew. Phelan said that will reduce overtime because more people will be assigned later shifts, versus having to call them in, which triggered the overtime.
Village Board member Alex Olejniczak praised how well Oak Lawn’s public works employees do their jobs, often in harsh and uncomfortable circumstances, even getting out of bed in the middle of the night.
Olejniczak said there were 26 water main breaks in December alone and 18 of them occurred over the holidays. The average time from when the employees are notified to when the water is running again is six hours, Olejniczak said, which includes turning the water off, locating the break and repairing it.
Sometimes it takes more time, sometimes less, but that performance is impressive considering they may have to dig down through frozen ground, he said.
In addition to the annual raises, the salary of a village employee covered by the contract can go up if they receive a satisfactory job performance evaluation. So an employee whose 2022 annual salary was $36,802 would earn $37,814 with the 2.75% rate that went into effect Jan. 1, 2023. But if he or she is judged to have met the performance expectations of his or her job, they will advance to the next step and higher pay.
So that person earning $36,802 on Dec. 31, 2022 could have an annual salary of $41,491 by the end of 2023.
The collective bargaining agreement reduces the prior 15-step scale to seven steps, plus performance, or step, increases at the 20-year and 25-year mark.
Representatives of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 involved in the negotiations with village officials could not be reached for comment.
Kimberly Fornek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.