Del Norte Solid Waste Authority ratifies three-year labor agreement with SEIU unit

The Del Norte Solid Waste Management Authority voted Sept. 16 to approve a three-year memorandum of understanding with Service Employees International Union (SEIU) representing most authority staff, Director Ted Ward said. The agreement runs July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028, and includes a 5% pay increase retroactive to July 1, 2025.

The agreement was negotiated in three formal sessions beginning July 1 and included housekeeping changes to better align benefits and language with local labor-market comparators, Will Folger, who assisted with bargaining, said. Folger said negotiators left a limited reopener clause that applies only to future cost-of-living/wage increases once the county’s ongoing labor talks finish.

The authority’s chair, Chair Greenough, moved to approve the MOU; Commissioner Starkey seconded the motion and all three commissioners voted yes. Public comment on the MOU was none, and the board thanked the negotiation team and SEIU representatives for their cooperation.

Folger told the board the reopener exists so the authority can make an informed decision on wage increases for the remaining two years of the contract after seeing what Del Norte County negotiates with its SEIU unit. He said the authority matched the county’s recently approved 5% increase but did not preset any additional increases for the later years of the agreement.

The board’s approval authorizes execution and ratification of the full MOU package as presented.