Krissy Waite - Marin IJ
Oct 9, 2025
Long Struggle Ends in Novato
A holdout labor group in Novato has ratified a contract agreement with the city, accepting an 11% base salary increase over three years.
Members of Service Employees International Union Local 1021 voted by a majority of 87% on Sunday in favor of the tentative agreement. The vote capped a protracted negotiating period that included labor strikes.
The City Council is scheduled to vote on the contract at its meeting on Tuesday.
“Supporting our employees strengthens both our workforce and our community,” said City Manager Amy Cunningham. “We’re pleased to have reached an agreement with SEIU that recognizes the dedication and expertise of our employees. This agreement strikes a balance between fair, competitive compensation with the city’s commitment to long-term financial stability.”
SEIU Local 1021 represents 78 of about 190 city employees, including street maintenance workers, building inspectors, parks and recreation coordinators and city planners. The group went on strike in August and September over wages and other issues as negotiations dragged out.
In September, the city declared that negotiations were at an impasse, moving the process toward potential mediation. A week later, the parties reached the tentative deal.
The agreement includes the same terms offered to the group previously. In addition to the base pay increases, the deal includes “equity” adjustments of up to 13% to bring salaries closer to the market median. The city also offered to cover 100% of medical benefits for employees and their families, along with eight additional weeks of paid parental leave.
The agreement did not achieve full equity pay, according to a statement issued by union spokesperson Ian Lee. However, bargainers did achieve some improvements in longevity pay and bilingual pay and an agreement to a mid-contract salary survey.
The union said the city’s workers are some of the lowest paid in the region.
“Over the past two decades, the city has cut staffing levels dramatically,” the union said in the statement. “Novato’s street maintenance division once had 14 workers. Today it has just seven. One in five City of Novato employees have been at their jobs less than a year. Ultimately, Novato City Council’s refusal to fund public services deprives the Novato community of the services it deserves.”
The group’s previous contract expired in June, and employees have been working under the terms of the expired agreement. The previous contract provided 7% in cost-of-living adjustments for all employees and equity increases ranging from 0.50% to 15.19% for six job categories.
Perry Siu, a recreation supervisor, said she was disappointed the city was not willing to negotiate further with the bargaining team.
“While our resolve has never been stronger to acquire a better standing among our comparable agencies, SEIU 1021 members ultimately voted to ratify this contract,” Siu said. “We are pleased that we were able to get improvements in the employee discount program, as well as in the longevity and bilingual pay incentives.”
SEIU 1021 is the last of the city’s bargaining groups without a new contract.