Local News

Council OKs 12% wage hike for more than 100 city workers

By Brian Lockhart
Staff Writer

November 10, 2004

NORWALK -- Wages will increase 12 percent by 2006 for more than 100 city workers under two contracts the Common Council approved last night.

In return for the salary increases, members of the Norwalk Municipal Employees Association and the Norwalk Assistants and Supervisors Association will share the cost of health benefits.

Mayor Alex Knopp, a Democrat who presides over council meetings, said the contracts , which are retroactive to 2002 for municipal employees and to 2003 for assistants and supervisors, are "a very good outcome for taxpayers."

The 11 Democrats present and one Republican voted in favor of both contracts, with Republican Douglas Hempstead abstaining over a concern about the "hefty" wage increases and their impact on future contracts.

Reversing past policy, officials yesterday released details of the two contracts before the Common Council vote.

Former Board of Estimate and Taxation member David Davidson and The Advocate have filed Freedom of Information requests for the proposed contracts. The city has denied the requests on the grounds the city had pre-existing agreements with various unions not to divulge details of negotiations, and that the contracts were still being negotiated until the final council vote.

Davidson, however, had said the full documents "should be public because I believe both the citizens and press should have the opportunity to analyze the situation to address their comments to the elected representatives on the council."

Davidson said that he submitted his FOI request to the Personnel Department on Friday and received a message today at about 3:37 p.m. from the city's law department that the contracts would be made available. He didn't get his message, however, until nearly 8:30 p.m.

"So I couldn't act on this," Davidson, who did not attend last night's council meeting, said afterward by phone.

Knopp last night said he generally would favor the documents be released to the public, but that the city had been bound to honor the prior agreements with the unions.

After learning Monday of Davidson's FOI request for the contracts, Knopp asked the Personnel and Law departments to ask union leadership if it would agree to release the contract details, and they agreed.

The mayor would not comment on whether he will consider similarly releasing the last of the city's five major contracts -- the fire department contract -- which is being negotiated.