SPRINGFIELD – The City Council has approved a union contract that represents no employees, but is still considered vital for the public health operations.

The four-year pact with the city’s public nurses will run retroactively from July 2024 through June 2028. It calls for a $1 hourly increase in the first year followed by 2% raises annually for the next three years, said William Mahoney, human resource director for the city.

“It is just very unusual. I’ve never brought a contract to the council or anywhere where there are no employees in the bargaining unit,” he said while explaining the contract to the Finance Committee this month.

When contract negotiations began, four employees were members of the union. By the time the two sides reached an agreement, there was one nurse left. That employee left for another job soon after signing the agreement, Mahoney said.

With no employees, the agreement will have no impact on the budget, he said.

But a new and vital clause in the contract allows the city to hire part-time nurses to provide services, such as giving vaccinations and doing outreach on diseases such as tuberculosis. The previous contract only allowed the city to hire part-time nurses in cases of emergencies, Mahoney said.

The city does employ one nursing supervisor who works under the department of Health and Human Services, but is not in the union.

The department has been using some school nurses to provide services and paying them an hourly rate when needed. It will now consider using an outside agency to hire others, Mahoney said.

City Council Vice President Tracye Whitfield said she is concerned the current annual salary of $71,300 is not enough to attract full-time employees. She said a $1-an-hour raise will not increase the pay level enough to make a difference.

“We should look at salaries for public health nurses,” she said.

The City Council initially sent the issue to subcommittee for more discussion, before approving the contract this month.