Middletown Development News

Middletown Council Considers Three-Year Agreement with UPSU Locals on Wages and Remote Work

The Middletown Common Council is considering a three-year tentative agreement with UPSU Local 6457 (city employees) and UPSU Local 6458 (Board of Education employees) primarily concerning wage increases and a remote work policy. The agreement for Local 6457 includes wage increases averaging 3.17% over three years and formalizes a remote work policy allowing employees to work remotely one day a week with departmental approval. For Local 6458, the agreement mirrors the insurance, pension, and life insurance changes previously negotiated with the city for Local 6457. The estimated financial impact for Local 6457 is $505,337.92 over three years, including associated step increases and reclassifications. Council members raised questions about the remote work policy's liability, consistency, and data collection, as well as details on retirement plan tiers, sick leave calculation, and the use of CPI for wage negotiations. The discussion also touched upon the city's ability to pay, OPEB liability, and the comparative financial standing of Middletown among other Connecticut municipalities.