CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Adopt the resolution authorizing execution of a collective bargaining agreement between the City of Naperville and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 196
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DEPARTMENT: Legal Department
SUBMITTED BY: Jaime Olson, Labor and Employment Attorney
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
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BACKGROUND:
Prior to negotiations the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 196 (“Union”) represented two categories of employees at the Water Utilities for the purposes of collective bargaining and wages: Water Utility Technicians and Senior Water Utility Technicians. There are currently 13 Water Utility Technicians and 33 Senior Water Utility Technicians. These 46 employees are represented by the Union for purposes of collective bargaining.
The Collective Bargaining Agreement (“CBA”) between the City and the Union expired on December 31, 2025. The City and Union have reached agreement on a successor CBA consistent with authority provided to the City’s bargaining team. That agreement was ratified by the bargaining unit employees on May 7, 2026, and is attached to the Resolution document as Exhibit A.
DISCUSSION:
The attached CBA contains the following changed economic terms:
Term: The agreement has a four-year term retroactive to January 1, 2026, and terminates on December 31, 2029.
Wage Schedule: Effective on January 1, 2026, all bargaining unit employees shall be paid based on the annual step pay plan.
Creation of Two New Pay Scales: Effective on January 1, 2026, Wastewater Treatment Operators and Wastewater Treatment Operators In-Training were placed on separate pay scales from Senior Water Utility Technicians. The creation of these two new pay classifications was necessary to ensure compensation reflected employees’ required credentials. Unlike Senior Water Utility Technicians, Wastewater Treatment Operators require additional licenses, years of qualifying experience, and mandatory continuing education and, as a result, needed to be placed in a higher pay structure. This will end the disparity of compensating materially different work at the same rate and allow the City to align compensation with market conditions and retention needs, reducing long-term operational risk.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total cost of the percentage increases and the creation of the two new pay scales over the four-year term of the CBA is $1,250,570.46, which equates to $536,938.84 for the first year, $321,307.64 for the second year, $260,539.97 for the third year and $131,784.02 for the last year of the CBA. No other changes to the collective bargaining agreement had a fiscal impact. As a result, the overall estimated fiscal impact is $1,250,570.46.