Unions reach agreement with GR

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - While Detroit and other cities struggle to bring down labor costs, Grand Rapids officials are offering up a very public "thank you" to city employee unions for helping bring the budget under control.

The city's police officers and police command unions have both reached agreements with the city that freezes pay for most of the contract, creates more flexibility in scheduling and has employees picking up more of their pension costs.

The deal with the two police unions cuts their overall compensation by 8.2%.

Savings in other areas, including the elimination of a day off for officers working 12-hour shifts, won the unions a one year, 1.5% pay increase, which goes into effect the first year of the four-year agreement.

Nine of the city's 11 unions have come to similar agreements.

Firefighters and emergency communications officers are still in negotiations with the city.