Ballantyne Administration Reaches New Agreements with Somerville Police and Custodians Unions

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne is announcing the successful negotiation and signing of new collective bargaining agreements with the SEIU Local 3 Custodians and the Somerville Police Superior Officers Association (SPSOA). These agreements reflect the City’s ongoing commitment to fair compensation, organizational improvement, and public service excellence. 

“This round of negotiations represents important progress for our City workforce,” said Mayor Ballantyne. “I’m proud to deliver wage growth that supports employee retention and reflects the essential services these teams provide to our community.” 

New Police Union Contracts Bring Wages into Competitive Range 

The SPSOA agreement covers Fiscal Years 2022 through 2024 and follows the ratification of a similar agreement with the Somerville Police Employees Association (SPEA) earlier this year. Both contracts were negotiated and signed under the Ballantyne Administration and provide significant wage increases that maintain the Somerville Police Department’s (SPD) competitive compensation levels in light of other Greater Boston departments that have implemented similar wage adjustments in recent years. 

The SPSOA and SPEA contracts each includes a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of 2% in FY22, 3% in FY23, and 3% in FY24. In addition, both unions will receive a 2% market adjustment in each fiscal year, bringing the total wage increase to approximately 14% over the life of these contracts. Officers in both unions will also see an increase to their annual hazardous duty stipends, which are now standardized at $3,000 for all sworn officers. 

To improve staffing flexibility, street safety, and community service delivery, the agreements also include provisions that allow the City to begin deploying civilian personnel for traffic control details in situations where sworn officers or designated public safety personnel are not available.  The City will be assessing the best way to engage and structure a civilian traffic control workforce in the coming months. 

The SPEA contract was signed and ratified in April and funded by the City Council in May. The SPSOA contract was ratified in June and was approved by the City Council on Wednesday, July 30. 

“These contracts are the result of the administration’s strong working relationships with our public safety unions and a shared goal of making Somerville a leader in service and safety,” said Human Resources Director Anne Gill. 

Custodian Agreement Advances Wage Equity Goals 

The City has also signed a Memorandum of Agreement with SEIU Local 3 Custodians, fulfilling a wage reopener clause in the union’s FY23–FY25 contract. This reopener was triggered by the City’s recently completed Wage and Compensation Study, commissioned under Mayor Ballantyne’s direction to ensure fair and competitive compensation across departments. 

Effective in FY25, base wages for all custodians will increase by 2%. Additionally, those at the top of the salary scale will receive a further 2% increase to address wage compression in the existing salary schedule. The City has also agreed to structurally adjust the custodians’ pay scale starting in FY26, moving from 1% steps to 2% steps across the salary schedule. This change supports the Ballantyne Administration’s broader initiative to modernize compensation practices and promote long-term workforce sustainability. 
 

Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy in advance at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or apomeroy@somervillema.gov.