By Jim Cline
This is the sixth in a series of articles on recent Interest Arbitration decisions. A summary of all recent arbitration decisions since 2008 is available on the Premium website. This is a decision by Arbitrator Howell Lankford concerning Spokane Transit Authority Paratransit Operators.
Comparability. The parties agreed on Pierce, Ben-Franklin (TriCities), and C-Trans (Snohomish). They disagreed over Kitsap County and Lane County. Arbitrator Lankford adopted Kitsap County, but rejected Lane County because the work was contracted out to private operators.
Wages. The Arbitrator concluded that the Operators were paid significantly behind their comparables. The Union proposed a 3.5% per year wage increase to address that, but the Arbitrator concluded that the Authority lacked the sufficient fiscal capacity to afford that without cutting services. He ordered 2% for 2012 and 2013 and 3.5% for 2014. He explained that although the Employer had fiscal constraints, the Employees were paid so far behind the market that waiting until the next contract cycle to address the pay gap would leave the Employees even further behind.
This Award is another indicator that Arbitrators are cautiously extending some wage increases, even in the face of Employer budget arguments. In the few years preceding this award, many arbitrators would have awarded something closer to the Employer’s low wage proposal, even given the circumstances of a documented wage gap. This Award, issued in December 2013, is another indication that anticipated wages awards may be on the rise, even if marginally.
