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The KUCB Newsroom provides newscasts Monday through Thursday at noon and 5 PM on KUCB Radio. You can find many of our local news stories here.

Unalaska City Council approves agreement for city workers after hours of debate

Dozens of city employees and their supporters packed council chambers for Thursday’s rollercoaster of a meeting, characterized by tie-breaking votes, changed decisions and gasps.
Theo Greenly
/
KUCB
Dozens of city employees and their supporters packed council chambers for Thursday’s rollercoaster of a meeting, characterized by tie-breaking votes, changed decisions and gasps.

The Unalaska City Council approved a collective bargaining agreement with the union that represents many of the city’s workers on Thursday morning.

The International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 302 represents employees at City Hall, the Department of Public Works, the Department of Public Utilities and the Department of Parks, Culture and Recreation.

Their collective bargaining agreement requested a 15% raise in employee salaries over a three-year period.

Councilors were originally scheduled to vote at their regular meeting Tuesday night, but postponed making a decision after an executive session that lasted two hours.

Dozens of city employees and their supporters packed council chambers for Thursday’s rollercoaster of a meeting, characterized by tie-breaking votes, changed decisions and gasps.

Ultimately, the council did approve the agreement.

Listen here for a recap of Thursday’s decision.

Theo Greenly reports from the Aleutians as a Report for America corps member. He got his start in public radio at KCRW in Santa Monica, California, and has produced radio stories and podcasts for stations around the country.
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