The City of Columbia and LiUNA Local 955 reached a pay agreement on Tuesday after months of negotiations.
The agreement increases wages by 3.5% for the hundreds of city workers represented by LiUNA. Union members can expect a 2.5% raise on Oct.1, followed by an additional raise of one-and-a-half percent on Jan. 18.
Discussions between the city and LiUNA began in April, focusing on wages that would help offset the rising cost of living. In July, workers said the city's offer of a 1% cost-of-living adjustment is not enough.
"We don't think anyone who works 40 hours a week should live in poverty and struggle to provide for themselves and their family," union representative Andrew Hutchinson said. "Especially when you know that when people pay their taxes, there is an assumption that the people taking care of their city are making enough to live on."
Tuesday's announcement brought excitement for many in the union, but Hutchinson said there is still work to be done.
"We think there is still way too much of our work being outsourced, which is wasting taxpayer dollars," Hutchinson said.
