Over the past few years, the City of Daytona Beach has seen rapid growth when it comes to residents, businesses and visitors to the capital of Florida’s “surf coast.” That growth is was made possible in part by the hardworking city employees who are members of AFSCME Local 2066. And in their new two-year contract, members made sure they get to share in some of the prosperity they have created.
“No matter where you turn you can’t escape the fact this entire region is growing and the city is really at the heart of that growth,” said Bobby Butler, a member of the city’s ground maintenance team and president of AFSCME Local 2066.
Butler said that, as normal, negotiators with the city tried to say there was less money than before, the budget outlook was dim and workers should be expecting cuts. But, thanks to strong ties with the negotiating teams from the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the Coastal Florida Police Benevolent Association (CFPBA) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), union members were able to hold to a united front across four separate negotiations and not allow the city to divide them or weaken them.
“We have all been experiencing growth in our membership because workers have seen how a strong union is key to securing a better contract so we were able to translate that strength to the bargaining table, said Butler.
The result is a contract that will deliver a 2% wage increase every six months over the length of the contact, meaning an 8% increase in just two years. Additionally, there was no change to workers’ pension or an increase in their health care premiums. And instead of being limited to cashing out only a week’s worth of personal time at a lower payrate, employees who have enough hours banked can now cash out up to two-weeks of time each year at their actual salary.
“Honestly, this is not a surprise to many of us because it is the result of years of work to get to this stage,” said Butler, who has been with AFSCME for almost his entire 24-year career and previously served as the local’s vice president. “We said if we grew our membership and strengthened our ties with workers across the city we would be a force at the bargaining table. The proof is in the pudding and this contract is mighty sweet.”
