25 October 6, 2026
Honorable Mayor and City Council
City of Long Beach
California
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation to adopt a Resolution approving the 2026-2029 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
In accordance with the direction from the City Council, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement has been reached with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) bargaining unit. The IBEW represents approximately 874 employees in both the Skilled and General Supervisory Unit and the Skilled and General Basic Unit groups.
The successor IBEW MOU reflects the strong, collaborative partnership between the City and IBEW as well as a shared commitment to providing fair and competitive compensation in today’s challenging labor market. The agreement includes general salary increases totaling 9% over a three-year term for all represented employees. This approach not only ensures that City employees are fairly compensated for retention and recruitment purposes but also helps maintain the City’s competitiveness and attractiveness as an employer of choice.
The agreement provides long-term workforce stability and helps to ensure the continuity of essential City services. Together with improved hiring practices, the agreement reflects the City's continued commitment to retaining current employees, attracting qualified candidates and maintaining a strong workforce despite a challenging fiscal environment. Long Beach has been working to fill vacancy positions critical to service delivery response. Following the voter approved passing of charter amendment Measure JB in November 2024, the City has sped up hiring to an average of 90 days, implemented local job preferences and lowered the vacancy rate from an average of 24% to 17%. However, continuing to make progress depends on offering competitive wages that allow the City to attract top talent and retain experienced employees amid strong competition from other jurisdictions.
The 2023-2026 IBEW MOU expired on September 30, 2026. Since April 2026, City management and IBEW representatives have held four negotiation sessions regarding a successor MOU for the 2026-2029 contract term. A tentative agreement has been reached and jointly signed by representatives of the City and IBEW.
As a result, the proposed successor IBEW MOU and summary of key provisions applicable to the bargaining unit can be found below.
Human Resources
411 West Ocean Boulevard, 10th Floor, Long Beach, CA 90802 (562) 570-6621
Honorable Mayor and City Council
October 6, 2026
IBEW Tentative Agreement Major Provisions:
The proposed MOU is for a three-year agreement from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2029, and it includes the following major provisions:
1. General Wage Increases for all IBEW represented classifications:
a. 2 percent effective October 3, 2026.
b. 3.5 percent effective September 18, 2027.
c. 3.5 percent effective September 30, 2028.
2. Winter Holiday Closure - Effective December 2027, the City will implement an annual Winter Holiday Closure. Non-critical and/or non-essential City of Long Beach services, as determined by the City Manager or appropriate appointing authority, shall close annually for the period between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Employees not required to work during the closure period will be coded as unpaid Authorized Leave or shall have the option to utilize the following types of accrued leave for the unpaid Winter Holiday Closure days:
Vacation, Personal Holiday/In-Lieu Holiday, and Banked Time-Off.
3. Compensatory Time Off (CTO) – Banked overtime will be increased to 120 expanded hours for any employee at any one time. An employee may request payment of their CTO throughout the calendar year.
4. Skill Pays – Add or modified skill pays relevant to the work performed by its employees. a. Underwater Diving – Amount has been increased from $24.00 to $35.00. b. Hazwop OSHA Recovery – New skill pay added for Water Treatment Operators, Water Treatment Supervisor, Electrical & Instrumentation Technician I – II and Electrical & Instrumentation – Supervisor when assigned to the Long Beach Groundwater Treatment Plant.
c. Added IBEW classifications to current skill pays, including Fusion Trainer/Inspection Certification, ASE Series Certification, Crane Certification, Pesticide Application License as well as assignments to tow truck, a mechanic to Fire Apparatus, DOT Operator Qualification and supervising Senior Equipment Operators.
d. Added Inspector Classifications – Added Inspector classifications skill pays from the LOA to the skill pay chart.
e. Water Utility Worker -NC – Added skill pay from LOA to skill pay chart
5. Vacation Accrual Maximum - The City has agreed to establish current temporary vacation accrual maximum as permanent. This maximum accrual is determined based on years of completed service and is calculated based on 80 paid, regularly scheduled hours.
6. Boot Allowance - This provision has been revised with options for employees to either purchase required safety footwear and receive reimbursement from their respective Honorable Mayor and City Council
October 6, 2026
departments, up to $350.00 per year, or may use the current City contracted vendor to purchase the required safety footwear.
7. Uniform Allowance – Additional IBEW classifications have been added to the chart in this section since they are required to wear a uniform and will be provided a Uniform Allowance.
The value of the uniform provided is reported to CalPERS as compensation subject to retirement contributions for employees in classic retirement tiers (not PEPRA).
8. Free From Duty Rest Period – Added classifications from Long Beach Utilities, Public Works, Parks, Recreation and Marine, Airport and Harbor Departments to be eligible for this provision.
9. Utilities titles for Gas, Water, Harbor, Facility Maintenance –The City will set an initial meeting with IBEW and appropriate departments to discuss the possible addition of Utilities titles for Gas, Water, and Facility Maintenance and Harbor classifications during the term of the contract. The initial meeting shall take place no later than January 25, 2027.
10.Classification Specification - The City will set a meeting with IBEW to discuss the Construction Building Inspector classification. The initial meeting shall be no later than January 25, 2027.
11.Appendix A - Chart and Classification Changes – The City has updated Appendix A to reflect the classifications represented by IBEW.
12.New Employee Orientation and Employee Information – Increased meeting time for the union to engage with their represented to thirty (30) minutes during the Department's NEO.
This matter was reviewed by Assistant City Attorney Gary J. Anderson on September 17, 2026, and by Budget Manager Rebecca Bernstorff on September 21, 2026.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on October 6, 2026, to ensure timely implementation of the requested changes on the applicable effective dates.
FISCAL IMPACT
This agreement will have an estimated total structural net fiscal impact of $11.16 million across all fund groups once fully implemented by the end of FY 29, of which $2.17 million is in the General Fund Group. The table below shows the breakdown of these costs by fiscal year.
IBEW Contract Cost by Fiscal Year (in $ millions)
Fund Group Impact FY 27 FY 28 FY 29 Total
General Fund $0.47 $0.83 $0.86 $2.17
All Funds $3.06* $3.98 $4.12 $11.16*
*FY 27 includes the cost of $459,177 for the new HazWop OSHA Recovery Skill Pay that has been agreed to be funded by the Utilities Department outside of this negotiation.
Honorable Mayor and City Council
October 6, 2026
As the outcome of negotiations was unknown at the time of the FY 27 Budget adoption, a General Fund Group placeholder was included for potential negotiated agreements in the FY 27 Budget, which falls within the placeholder, and also included in the out-year projections. Inclusive of these placeholders, the FY 27 Adopted Budget was adopted with a structural deficit of $58.2 million, structurally solved and balanced through internal operational efficiencies, departmental expenditure reductions, and strategic revenue enhancements. The five-year forecast (FY 28- FY 32) incorporates the actions taken to balance FY 27, resulting in a significantly reduced projected impact of approximately $14.9 million. While this represents meaningful progress and reflects the City’s commitment to long-term fiscal stability, the forecast also shows that FY 28 continues to present notable challenges, with a projected deficit of $27.3 million.
This agreement is recommended as an important and necessary part of the City’s ability to mitigate staffing challenges citywide and to support its current employees, as well as retain and attract new employees.
An appropriation increase for FY 27 to align the budget to reflect the costs from this agreement will be brought to the City Council in a separate citywide budget adjustment letter, combined with other negotiated adjustments for other bargaining groups. This recommendation will have a moderate staffing impact to implement the payroll changes but is within the normal budgeted scope of duties and is consistent with existing City Council priorities. There is no local job impact associated with this recommendation.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully submitted,
Bryce M. Tyler
Director
Human Resources
ATTACHMENT – RESOLUTION AND IBEW MOU