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Public works employees in Davenport are pleading for higher wages and a solution to staffing shortages

Public works employees in Davenport are pleading for higher wages and a solution to staffing shortages

The city began negotiations with public works employees Monday as their current contract expires in June.

DAVENPORT, Iowa – Public works employees in Davenport are advocating for higher wages and solutions to staffing shortages. Teamsters Local 238 met Monday morning as contract negotiations with the city continued.

Workers handle tasks such as snow removal, trash collection and sewer maintenance. On Monday, the city presented an initial proposal that included a wage increase of 1% per year in the new contract.

“Our members do their best work during floods, blizzards and storm surges,” said Teamsters Local 238 Business Agent Zach Peterson. “Nevertheless, they are offered the bare necessities.”

Peterson said one topic of discussion is low staffing levels in many departments of the Davenport Public Works Department.

“It has declined over time, particularly in the last four or five years,” Peterson said. “COVID has really exacerbated a lot of these issues. I think it was a problem that existed before, but it has accelerated that problem and we now have members working an additional job out of town just to be able to run a budget.”

Given the labor shortage, public construction workers have been pushing for higher wages for months. Peterson said some depend on each other during difficult times.

“We have new employees who live together because they can’t afford their own place in the city, and I think if you work for the city of Davenport you should actually be able to afford it.” “Live in the city, that one you serve,” Peterson said.

The City of Davenport has decided not to comment on the negotiations at this time.

The Teamsters are not happy with the offer. Negotiations will continue this week and the current contract expires in June.

Davenport ranks fourth in Iowa for public works wages, with an average hourly rate of $24.29. The three largest cities are Ames, Des Moines and Sioux City.

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