The Avalon City Council has approved a new labor agreement with the Avalon Harbor Employees Association, securing updated staffing policies, wage schedules, and benefit adjustments for the Harbor Department through mid-2028. The agreement received unanimous approval at the council’s meeting on Nov. 18, 2025, and is now in effect.
The memorandum of understanding covers the period from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028, replacing the previous agreement that expired earlier this year on June 30. Negotiations began in early July and continued into the fall.
City Manager David Maistros told councilmembers that the four months of negotiations focused more on improving quality of life and operational consistency within the Harbor Department than on wages alone. He praised the negotiators representing the Avalon Harbor Employees Association and noted that the discussions were productive from the outset.
Key Updates in the Newly Adopted Agreement
The finalized agreement introduces several meaningful changes intended to stabilize staffing, clarify expectations, and update benefits. Among them:
- Position Reclassification: The senior administrative assistant role is now designated as senior harbor operations assistant. Maistros described the change as a reclassification to better align the position with current operational needs.
- Minimum Staffing: The memorandum sets minimum staffing levels equal to current full-time staffing in the Harbor Department, ensuring continuity for harbor operations.
- Education Reimbursement: Part-time Harbor Patrol officers may now participate in the department’s education reimbursement program when funds remain after full-time officers have used the benefit.
- Commuter Book Eligibility: Part-time Harbor Patrol officers who work at least 500 hours in a calendar year will qualify for one commuter book.
- Mobile Phone Stipend: Eligible employees will receive a monthly stipend of 35 dollars for mobile phone use.
- Cost of Living Adjustments: The agreement removes previous cost-of-living language and incorporates a yearly 2.5% COLA directly into the wage structure.
- Leave Time Policy Changes:
• Vacation accrual caps have been reduced from 480 hours to 360 hours.
• Sick time cash-out provisions have been eliminated.
• The retirement sick time cash-out limit has been lowered from 480 hours to 240 hours. - Wage Schedule: A new ten-step wage progression with 2.55% incremental increases has been implemented.
- Health Insurance: Beginning January 1, 2025, the city will increase its share of health insurance premiums by 13.6%, depending on plan selection. Additional increases of 2.5% to the city’s insurance cap are scheduled for 2027 and 2028. Safety language allows the city and association to revisit the insurance section if premium spikes exceed thresholds set in the agreement.
According to the city’s staff report, the financial impacts of the agreement were incorporated into the current budget cycle. A budget amendment will be required once all municipal labor agreements are updated to reflect health insurance adjustments.
With the new memorandum now active, Avalon sets a clearer path for supporting Harbor Department personnel through the next three years as the island community continues navigating staffing demands, rising insurance costs, and the operational realities of a busy harbor environment.
