The Chehalis City Council unanimously approved three collective bargaining agreements (CBA) during its Monday meeting, including with the Chehalis Police Officers’ Guild, the Teamsters 252 Non-Commissioned Personnel and the Teamsters 252 Non-Uniform Personnel unions.
All three CBAs expired Dec. 31, 2025, and have been negotiated for several months.
Chehalis Police Officers’ Guild
The new CBA for the Chehalis Police Officers’ Guild includes lowering the maximum accumulation of compensatory time from 360 hours to 260 hours, and to 240 hours in 2028. Wage increases include a 5% jump in 2026, a 3% increase in 2027, and a 2.5% increase in 2028 for a total of 10.5% over the three-year contract.
In 2026, Chehalis police officers within the guild will receive a possible wage scale of $7,263 at the lowest step in the salary schedule to $8,791 a month, or $7,627 a month to $9,232 a month if assigned as a detective. Police sergeants in the guild will receive a wage range from $9,769 a month to $10,180 a month, or $10,313 to $10,689 if assigned as a detective.
Along with the salary increases, the new agreement also includes bilingual pay for a minimum of one hour for call out to provide this service. The bilingual pay of 2% will impact “approximately” two employees, according to a City of Chehalis briefing. The agreement stipulates that if a qualified employee is called out to perform bilingual services, they shall receive one hour minimum of pay regardless of how much time under an hour is spent to perform the duties. Employees who speak and write Spanish and Russian will also be provided 2% bilingual pay.
The agreement updated a section on contact calls. An employee not required to physically report to work but is engaged by telephone or other means of electronic communication during their off-duty hours shall be compensated in a couple of ways. Calls of 30 minutes in duration or less shall be compensated at 30 minutes pay, and calls in excess of 30 minutes but lasting an hour or less in duration shall be compensated one hour of pay. Routine calls for overtime offerings or assignments shall not be eligible for compensation under this provision.
The new CBA increased detectives’ clothing allowance from $600 to $700 per calendar year. Also, the agreement created a new section in which any sworn officer who successfully meets or exceeds state physical fitness standards shall be eligible for reimbursement of up to the current monthly rate at Thorbeckes Fitness Center. Fitness evaluation will be conducted every six months by a department-approved evaluator and will grant the member eligibility for this voluntary program until the next fitness evaluation.
A section of the CBA increases bereavement leave from two days to three with an additional three days if approved for travel and making funeral arrangements. Another section created a simpler vacation accrual chart with an increase from 7.6 hours to 8.0 hours in years 0-3 and a maximum accrual of 216 hours in year 20 instead of year 26.
Guild members with degrees will see increased incentives under the new agreement. A section increases the education incentive from 1% to 2% for an associates degree, and from 2% to 4% for officers with a bachelor’s degree.
Finally, a section of the police officer’s guild CBA increases the time the city has to conduct internal investigations from 30 days to 60 days and better clarifies the investigation process.
The city’s negotiating team started meeting with representatives of the police guild to discuss the positions for each side in July of last year. Several issues were brought to the table, including wages, overtime, the current patrol schedule, education incentives, equipment, and uniforms, among others.
Teamsters 252 Non-Commissioned Personnel
In the 2026-28 CBA between the city and the Teamsters 252 Non-Commissioned union, all employees will receive a 5% base wage increase above their 2025 base wages, as well as a 2.5% increase effective Dec. 25, 2026, and another 2.5% increase effective Dec. 25, 2027.
Members also saw an increase in accrued vacation time and bereavement leave, matching what the police officer’s guild received.
A section of the CBA increases longevity pay by $25 to $75 per milestone anniversary year.
Teamsters 252 Non-Uniform Personnel
In the 2026-28 agreement between the city and the Teamsters 252 Non-Uniform union, all employees will receive a 5% base wage increase above their 2025 base wages, along with a 2.5% increase effective Dec. 25, 2026, and another 2.5% increase effective Dec. 25, 2027.
A section of the CBA increases the annual clothing allowance for certain positions from $300 per year to $450. Another new section ensuring a rest/sleep period for employees called back in to work specific work hours will receive eight consecutive hours off duty prior to their next shift for employee safety and risk management.
Members will see an increase in stand-by-duty pay from $2.75 per hour to a flat rate of $54 per day. They also received longevity pay increases by $25 to $75 per milestone anniversary year.
