Alton Unveils Essential Services Plan Ahead Of Teamsters Strike
With Public Works and Parks and Recreation employees preparing to strike, Alton outlines how it will protect public safety while scaling back some services.
ALTON - The City of Alton has announced a Service Plan ahead of a possible Teamsters strike. The City of Alton has developed a strike contingency plan to maintain essential services and protect public safety.
The strike will affect some nonessential services, and the administration will keep the public informed of any changes to those services. Teamster-represented employees in the City’s Public Works and Parks and Recreation departments are scheduled to begin a strike at midnight following September 24, 2026, after the parties were unable to reach an agreement to renew their collective bargaining agreement.
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The strike will not affect emergency services or other work the City deems essential to public health and safety, including:
- Emergency work involving urgent situations outside the agreement, threats to public health or safety, or emergencies declared by municipal authorities
- Repair of traffic signs and signals damaged as a result of an accident, among other causes
- Street cleanup following an accident, safety pruning, and tree removal (emergency response regarding public trees)
- Road repairs that address public safety hazards (e.g., major potholes)
- During periods of heavy demand (e.g., after a storm), the City will prioritize non-IDOT roads in this order: principal arterials, minor arterials, major collectors, minor collectors, and local roads.
Previously scheduled street closures for community events will proceed as planned. Public Works will also continue its administrative functions, including processing permits and invoice payments. However, the City will suspend routine maintenance operations during the strike.
The administration will regularly review and assess maintenance needs, which may change depending on the strike’s duration.
Animal Control officers have proactively placed animals in the City’s care with licensed rescue organizations. Staff will continue caring for animals that remain in City custody when the strike begins and will seek placements with rescue organizations for adoption. During the strike, however, the City cannot accept additional animals and will have limited capacity to respond to animal-control complaints. The Alton Police Department will continue to respond to animal-related incidents that present a public-safety risk beyond the ordinary risks citizens encounter in daily life, including reports of vicious dogs, dog bites, and animal cruelty.
The City of Alton has continued—and will continue—to meet with the Teamsters and bargain in good faith. The City has made three comprehensive offers to the Teamsters, including its most recent proposal shared on September 17, 2026. Like the City’s previous offer, the City’s September 17th proposal provided a minimum 3% wage increase in each year of a four-year contract. It also provided that, if any bargaining unit negotiated a higher wage increase, that same increase would apply to IBT bargaining-unit employees.
The latest offer also provided additional details about the proposed medical insurance plan offered to all other City employees. The City of Alton hoped these details would give the Teamsters greater clarity and assurance about the proposal. Unfortunately, the City of Alton and the Teamsters union have not reached an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement, and the Teamsters have voted to strike. Currently, Teamster-represented City of Alton employees earn an average of $64,222 per year, plus overtime pay.
With annual 3% increases, their average annual pay would exceed $72,000 by 2029–2030, excluding additional overtime earnings. Even with the proposed changes, the City of Alton would continue to offer an employee-friendly, cost-controlled medical insurance plan that is more generous than those offered by most comparable communities in the area. The City developed its proposal while addressing rapidly rising insurance costs and higher construction costs associated with replacing and repairing essential infrastructure. Funding from higher levels of government remains uncertain, competitive, and often delayed. For these reasons, the Mayor, City Council, and City administration are working to control costs, protect vital services, and keep tax rates reasonable for residents.
The City of Alton will continue to bargain in good faith with its union employees. The City values its employees and their service to the public. It wants to provide fair wages and benefits, but it must operate within its means. The City cannot offer wage and benefit packages that exceed its actual and projected revenue, nor can it prioritize wage increases and benefit enhancements over the essential services it must provide to the community. Reasonable wage increases and commonsense changes to employee health insurance will help the City of Alton continue providing essential services without resorting to drastic measures such as tax increases, layoffs, or service reductions.
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