EBMUD Board Triples Staff's Offer, Gives Pipe Supervisors 7.5% Raise
Board of Directors • East Bay Municipal Utility DistrictOctober 7, 2026
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East Bay MUD's Board of Directors acted as arbiter in its first impasse hearing over union pay disputes and awarded 14 General Pipe Supervisors a 7.5% equity raise. That is three times what staff recommended and short of the 10% Local 21 sought. Over a daylong special meeting, directors ruled on four job classifications under a 2025 side letter's four-factor test. They sided with labor on skills-based claims while accepting staff's market data for paving crews.
- 7.5% raise for 14 General Pipe Supervisors passes 4-1-2, over staff's 2.5%
- Maintenance Specialist IIIs win 2.5% despite staff's no-raise recommendation
- Paving Raker B denied a raise, 5-2, after union motion stalls on abstentions
- Asphalt milling operators get 2.5%, not the 5% sought, on a unanimous vote
- Supervisors testify they redesign water mains near gas lines when engineering defers
Pipe Supervisors Land 7.5% After Grievance Offer
The basics: An equity adjustment raises a job classification's pay grade to correct misalignment. It is separate from general raises. Under the 2025 side letter, the board could adopt the district's position, the union's or an alternative. Directors had to weigh four factors: recruitment and retention, market comparators, internal alignment and changes in job scope. Cost is not among them.
Why it matters: General Pipe Supervisors lead EBMUD's pipeline replacement crews. Their last equity adjustment came in 2013, before the "10 to 40" rebuild program raised production goals.
Where things stand: The 14 supervisors sit at grade 72, with a top step of $173,352. Local 21 sought 10%, or grade 76, about $191,000. Supervisors Jeremy Williams, Perry Foreman, Brian Wolverton and Brett Bergmark testified that the job has changed. They cited larger project clusters, earthquake-resistant ductile iron pipe, staging lots, traffic-control redesign, SB 661 Dig Safe Act standby requirements and claims investigations.
"The GPS is not simply executing an established process; GPS is helping create the new processes through which the work can successfully be accomplished," said Jeremy Williams, General Pipe Supervisor.
The union disputed the use of Marin Water as a comparator because Marin contracts out main replacement. The union also noted that only 20 of 411 eligible employees applied in the latest recruitment.
The other side: Staff recommended 2.5%, or grade 73, $177,732. Staff's survey was revised four times and moved from 8.25% above the market median to 2.49% below it. Staff found no recruitment, retention or compaction problem. Crystal Yesman, Manager of Maintenance Construction, said the job's core scope is unchanged since 2013.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Local 21 attorney Emily Malio offered a deal. "If the board adopts a 7.5 equity adjustment, Local 21 will withdraw its grievance and accept the November 2025 job description," she said.
Director Joey Smith moved 5%. "7.5% is a really, really heavy lift in the middle of a budget," Smith said. Director April Chan countered: "I'm not sure the district met its burden to dispute what they presented."
A substitute motion for 7.5% passed (For: 4, Against: 1, Abstain: 2). Directors Chan, Ody and Young voted yes. Director Lewis voted no. Board President Luz Gómez abstained. Directors Andy Katz and Smith split, with one voting yes and one abstaining. Lewis explained his vote: "I think we split that baby, and that's how I feel about the 7.5%."
What's next: Under Local 21's offer, the award should end the union's pending grievance. Both sides identified the redlined November 2025 draft job description as the basis for the raise.
Supervisors Say They Redesign Mains Near Gas Lines
Why it matters: The pipe supervisors' testimony raised accountability questions as EBMUD pushes pipeline replacement near high-priority gas mains.
Where things stand: Foreman said engineers on a Glorieta Boulevard project deferred to his judgment, as he said they consistently do. He described moving a main away from a deteriorating high-pressure PG&E gas line.
"Ultimately, I independently redesigned 100% of the 12-inch alignment and approximately 90% of the 16-inch alignment," said Perry Foreman, General Pipe Supervisor. Williams described rerouting mains on La Loma Avenue in the Berkeley Hills.
Smith objected: "There's no reason in the world that any of our GPSs should have to make that type of decision."
The other side: "A GPS provides input on significant design changes, but they do not, under state law, have the authority to make those changes unless the licensed project engineer approves them," Yesman said.
David Katzeff, who helped launch the rebuild program, conceded the Glorieta handoff "shouldn't have happened and not proud of it." He said the practice should change.
Paving Raker B Crews Denied Raise, 5-2
Why it matters: Staff data placed Raker B pay far above comparable jobs elsewhere. Directors chose to watch a new heavy-equipment training pilot rather than widen pay gaps.
Where things stand: Paving Raker B sits at grade 59. That is 7.5% above Raker A and below heavy equipment operators at grade 61. AFSCME Local 444 sought one step, 2.5%, to grade 60. Workers testified they run backhoes, rollers, pavers and Class A trucks and fill in for absent operators, foremen and drivers.
"It's a request to recognize the specialized skill set and versatility that East Bay MUD relies upon," said Jerome Sims, Paving Raker B.
The other side: The union estimated 80% to 90% of a workday involves equipment. Michael A. Rangel, Manager of Distribution, Maintenance, and Construction, put the figure at 20% to 25%, since every crew is staffed with an equipment operator. "The number that you relayed is wildly different," said Director Andy Katz.
Lori Warden, Senior HR Analyst, said Raker Bs earn 34.9% above Daly City and Napa comparators, and 33% above with San Francisco added. Vince James, Manager of Recruitment and Classification, reported zero resignations in 10 years. The union rebutted with a 2025 resignation.
Directors also questioned the comparators. Director Ody challenged them on cost of living: "It's 45% more to buy a house in Alameda, in my ward, in our district, than it is to buy it in Napa." Director Marguerite Young said a gap that large means the jobs aren't comparable.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Ody moved the union's 2.5%, with a second from Chan. The motion failed with 3 ayes and 4 abstentions. Gómez then moved the district's no-adjustment position, with a second from Smith. It passed on a roll call (For: 5, Gómez, Katz, Lewis, Smith, Young; Against: 2, Chan, Ody).
What's next: General Manager Clifford Chan said one Raker A has promoted to Raker B after completing the training pilot. Katz called the data "a snapshot in time" to be monitored.
Maintenance Specialists Win Raise Over Staff Objection
Why it matters: Crane-inspection certification became a formal job requirement in 2023 without any pay recognition.
Where things stand: About 26 Maintenance Specialist IIIs maintain raw-water aqueducts, pumping plants and the Pardee and Camanche facilities. Their top step is $135,480 at grade 62. A 2022-2023 grievance settlement added NCCCO truck-crane certification and quarterly crane inspections to the job description. The union sought 2.5%, to $138,912.
"The district refused to meet and confer with us, and we opted to defer to 2025 contract negotiations to pursue the equity adjustment based on a change in scope," said Eric Larson, President, AFSCME Local 444. Workers also warned that the Tri-Dam Project is creating a competing maintenance job.
The other side: James cited the last recruitment for the role, in 1994, which drew 95 qualified applicants. Warden said the class sits 3.93% above market. Roberto Cortez, Manager of Water Operations, said specialists have operated and inspected service-truck cranes since 1985.
Directors pushed back on the 30-year-old recruitment data. Katz noted Tri-Dam was the only comparator paying more, about 2.7%. "It's not unreasonable to go follow TriDam and match it," he said.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Young moved the union's 2.5%, with a second from Chan. The motion passed on a voice vote with no opposition and two abstentions. The abstaining directors were not identified.
Milling Operators Get 2.5%, Not 5%
Where things stand: Two Paving Raker Cs operate, maintain and haul EBMUD's 22-ton asphalt milling machine. They sit at grade 60, or $128,868. "The question before the board on the Raker C is not whether an equity adjustment is appropriate, but how much," Larson said.
The union sought 5% to place the class one step above heavy equipment operators. It cited Operating Engineers Local 3 wage data. Nathaniel Hovland, Paving Raker C, estimated outside contracting would have cost $2.1M over 350 operating days.
The other side: Staff backed 2.5%, or grade 61, $132,204, based on internal alignment. Rangel said milling took about 24.2% of work time in fiscal 2026. Young warned that a larger raise could invite leapfrogging claims from heavy equipment operators. Each step costs about $10,954 per position annually, including benefits.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Smith moved staff's position, with a second from Lewis. It passed unanimously (For: 7, Against: 0). Ody explained his vote: "My preference would be the 5%, but given the previous vote, I will be supporting this one." With Raker B held flat, the raise yields the 5% gap between Raker B and Raker C that both sides endorsed.
Looking Ahead
Directors called the decisions hard because few facts were agreed upon. "Maybe if this happens again, we really should start at what are the common facts that everyone agrees to," Chan said. Ody endorsed a statement of undisputed facts. Lewis noted that "about 47% of our cost is labor" and urged staff to analyze contingent outcomes in advance. Cindy Schumann, Director of Human Resources, reminded the board that the 2025 contract already includes CPI-based general salary increases.