City union tentatively agrees to contract

Spokane Mayor David Condon has reached his first tentative contract deal with a major city union.

The Spokane Managerial and Professional Association mailed ballots to its 250 members this week on a proposed three-year contract, said Carly Cortright, the association’s president.

The union’s leadership, which represents mostly salaried city workers, agreed to the deal early this month. Members have until June 9 to drop ballots in the mail. If membership accepts the contract, the Spokane City Council would have the final say.

The union’s contract expired last year. The new deal would be retroactive to Jan 1. Negotiations started in September.

Cortright, a strategic analyst for the Spokane Police Department, declined to provide further details of the proposal until after the vote is complete.

“Overall, I’m comfortable with what we were able to negotiate for our members,” Cortright said, adding: “When you’re facing a $10 million budget shortfall, you don’t have as much bargaining power.”

Two other large city unions, the Spokane Firefighters Union and the Spokane Police Guild, are working under expired contracts.