City workers in Sunnyvale are on the verge of a walkout over wages, according to an employee union.
On Wednesday, 120 members of the Sunnyvale Employees Association held a rally at City Hall in the midst of talks with the city over wages. The 450-member union includes operators at the Water Pollution Control Plant, maintenence workers, building inspectors and civilian support for police and fire services.
A fact-finding hearing took place Wednesday, the final step in what has been a contentious two years of negotiations. The union says members have not received a raise in five years and has threatened to strike if talks fail this time around.
SEA employees make up roughly half of the full-time employees in the city.
"Our employees have experienced a prolonged recession that they've never recovered from," union spokesman Dustin DeRollo said.
Union officials said that cost of living has gone up 14.2 percent, and union employees have had one 3 percent increase over the same time period.
Employees are asking for a 20 percent raise through January 2019. Ten percent would be retroactive to July 2015, according to city officials.
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City administrators are offering 10 percent through July 2018. City officials said they have to balance the demands for higher wages with city expenses.
