Union leaders push for pay hikes to match cost of living for city workers

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — City employees are set to receive a $1,000 holiday bonus, recently approved by the Tucson City Council. While the bonus is a welcomed gesture for many, some city workers say it's not enough to meet their needs.

Ben Lucero, president of AFSCME Local 905, which represents around 650 city workers, says the bonus falls short.

"When it comes to paying your bills and feeding your families, a one-time bonus doesn’t continue to cover that. A cost-of-living raise would," Lucero said. "And that’s something people can count on."

Three years ago, the city approved a series of wage increases aimed at bringing employees' salaries in line with market rates.

Lucero said that when these raises were introduced, the city promised to offer cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) every year as long as finances allowed.

In July, city employees received a 1.5% pay increase. This time around, however, instead of another pay raise, they are receiving a one-time bonus.

"It doesn’t fully reflect the value that these operators and these employees go through day in and day out," Lucero said.

The nature of the work is not without its challenges. Lucero, a longtime city employee, pointed to hazards faced by workers like residential trash drivers, who must navigate areas where overgrown vegetation can obstruct their view of utilities like gas meters. Hitting one of these meters could cause a gas leak, adding an extra layer of risk to an already demanding job.

“This is something we provide day-to-day, whether it's raining, cold, hot, during a pandemic or non-pandemic,” Lucero said.

James Garcia, secretary of AFSCME Local 905, expressed frustration with the city’s compensation decisions. “We feel devalued with the promise of 1.5%, and now we’re stuck with a $600 bonus when you consider the taxes from $1,000,” he said.

In response to the concerns, the city issued a statement:

“In June, the Mayor and Council approved a 1.5% raise for City employees, as recommended by the City Manager, as part of the approval of the 2025 Budget. At that time, the Mayor and Council also approved the City Manager’s recommendation to budget additional funds for a possible mid-year compensation adjustment, but to defer any decision on that possible adjustment until December, when more information would be available regarding the City’s financial position."

They added:

"On December 10^th, the Mayor and Council (again at the Manager’s recommendation) approved the expenditure of these budgeted funds to enable a one-time distribution to eligible employees. Through this action, all discussed, committed, and budgeted compensation dollars were distributed to our City employees. No City employees were “promised” a COLA of any amount, either during the budget approval process or at any other time."

But Lucero disagrees, asserting that a promise was made in previous years to provide annual COLA raises. "Not this current year, but in the years previously, they have," he said.

For now, AFSCME is continuing negotiations for the upcoming contract for city employees.