La Habra : Contract Talks Between City and Union Continue

City officials and representatives of the city’s professional workers are scheduled to meet today to resolve a contract dispute.

Meanwhile, no meeting date has been set between the city and its 30 clerical workers. The two parties failed to reach an agreement Monday despite the intervention of a state mediator.

Of three groups whose contracts originally expired today, only the maintenance crew reached an agreement with the city, Assistant City Manager Bob Burns said. Council members Tuesday night approved a 5% salary increase for about 40 maintenance workers, he said.

Both the professional and clerical groups have reached an impasse with the city, said officials of the Orange County Employees Assn., which represents the employees.

The workers are paid “way below average” compared with their counterparts in other Orange County cities, said John O’Malley, the association’s cities and districts division administrator.

Citing the associate city planner as an example, O’Malley said the position nets an average of $30,156 per year countywide, while La Habra pays $25,600 for the same job. The union is asking that the city give incremental raises to about 15 professional employees during the 1985-86 fiscal year until they reach parity with the county average.

Clerical staff representative Richard Brown said the union is asking for a 5% cost-of-living increase as well as adjustments that would bring La Habra salaries up to the county level.

Although the employees’ contracts were to expire today, city and union officials agreed to extend them to July 16, O’Malley said.