By Eliza Ridgeway

For the first time in recent years, Los Altos swiftly and peacefully signed new contracts with its employee unions this week. The city reached a four-year agreement with the Peace Officer’s Association and a three-year agreement with Teamster Union Local 350, which represents maintenance and public works employees.

“Those negotiations went very smoothly and respectfully from both sides,” Mayor Curtis Cole said.

The previous two police contract negotiations in 2003 and 2004 saw a rockier process that led to the city and police calling in outside mediation after reaching an impasse in negotiations.

“It’s always going to be a very difficult situation when you have colleagues sitting across the table from each other,” said Assistant City Manager Starla Jerome-Robinson.

She credited the hard work of a new team of negotiatiors for hammering out a new deal

without any hiccups this summer, and added, “I think the financial position of the city

is better.”

Under the new contract, police employees will receive 3.5 percent raises this year, increases linked to the consumer price index in 2008 and 2009, and 5 percent raises in 2010. Under the deal, a police sergeant’s total compensation, which includes pension contributions, will rise from about $118,000 to about $122,000, not counting overtime, and an officer’s from about $100,000 to about $103,700.

Members of the Teamsters Union will see a 4 percent increase in their bottom line as part of a contract valid through 2010. The contract also proposed changes

relating to uniforms and equipment.

The city based the pay increases in part on comparison to other similar municipalities in the area, Jerome-Robinson said. The Teamsters contract, for instance, had been evaluated as below the regional median.