11/03/2025
Press release from Ferguson Township:
Ferguson Township Board of Supervisors to Consider Ratification of Tentative Agreement with Teamsters Local 764 Ensuring Competitive Wages for Public Works Employees:
Ferguson Township, Centre County, PA — At its Regular Meeting on Monday, November 3, 2025, the Ferguson Township Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing and consider a resolution to ratify a Tentative Agreement between the Township and Teamsters Local Union No. 764, representing the Township’s Public Works Department. The proposed collective bargaining agreement is set to retroactively take effect January 1, 2025, and remain in place through December 31, 2027.
The Tentative Agreement, endorsed by both the Township and Teamsters Local Union 764, is scheduled for formal Union ratification on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. Upon approval by both parties, the agreement will take effect immediately, allowing the Township and Union to execute the finalized contract without delay.
Ferguson Township and the Teamsters Local 764 have negotiated in good faith to modernize and strengthen the Public Works Department’s compensation structure. The Tentative Agreement includes significant updates to Articles on Voluntary Overtime, Holidays, Sick Leave, Wages, Grievance Procedure, and Health and Welfare Benefits—reflecting a shared commitment to equitable compensation and operational consistency.
From 2015 through 2021, wages for Public Works employees—across Road Crew, Custodian, Mechanic, and Tree Trimmer positions—remained relatively stagnant, with only marginal increases despite rising regional market rates. For example, typical Road Crew positions increased from roughly $16.50 per hour in 2015 to just under $20.00 per hour by 2021, while Mechanics rose from approximately $19.40 to $22.90 per hour over that same period. This administration and Board of Supervisors accepts that these past incremental adjustments, averaging less than 3% annually, did not keep pace with comparable municipalities across Centre County and the broader region. As a result, by 2021, Ferguson Township’s Public Works wages lagged significantly behind market averages—creating long-standing disparities that persisted until the first-ever negotiated Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the Township and Teamsters Local 764 took effect in 2022.
That initial agreement introduced only modest wage adjustments, raising base hourly rates from approximately $18.68 to $19.10 for Road Crew, to $16.50 for Custodians, and from $20.11 to $22.11 for Mechanics.
The Township and Teamsters invested significant time and effort to evaluate and compare wages, recognizing that even the modest increases established under the first-ever negotiated CBA between the Township and Teamsters did not elevate pay to a level truly competitive with regional municipalities.
Under the Tentative Agreement now before the Board, base hourly wages will increase to $23.50 for Road Crew, $23.50 for Custodians, and $26.43 for Mechanics, with an additional 3% increase effective January 1, 2027. These adjustments bring Ferguson Township’s Public Works wages into direct alignment with comparable municipalities across Centre County and the region.
While the Township has proactively coordinated shared service arrangements with neighboring municipalities to ensure adequate snow plowing coverage during the 2025–2026 winter season, leadership remains focused on investing in Ferguson Township’s own employees for the long term. By strengthening its workforce, the Township is investing not only in its employees’ livelihoods but also in the reliability, safety, and quality of essential services that directly benefit residents year-round.
The Board of Supervisors will receive public comment on the Tentative Agreement during the November 3 meeting before considering a resolution to approve the Tentative Agreement which would formally ratify the contract contingent upon the Union’s vote on Wednesday, November 5. If approved, the agreement will be executed immediately upon Union ratification.
The full executed Tentative Agreement and Resolution will be available for review following both Township and Union ratification of the Tentative Agreement.
