The turbulent tides that followed the city’s recent decision to privatize the operations of its wastewater treatment plant appear to have receded.

The Dowagiac City Council approved a new three-year contract with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 876 — the union that represents the four employees currently working at the sewage plant as well others working with the department of public services — during the council’s regular meeting Monday. As part of the terms of the agreement, the city will retain two senior members on the facility’s staff, and will provide opportunities for the other two wastewater plant employees to move elsewhere within the city’s ranks.

The two retained employees will be supervised by an employee with F&V Operations, the company the city has contracted to oversee the plant, said Mayor Don Lyons. To compensate for the slight reduction in manpower, the city will outsource water testing to a laboratory operated by F&V, and will adjust weekend testing schedules with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

“We feel, with these two moves, we can efficiently run the plant with three people,” Lyons said.

The contract between the city and the union comes several weeks after the council’s decision Jan. 9 to contract the staffing of the city’s wastewater treatment plant with the Grand Rapids company, a move that would have effectively replaced the city employees working there.

In spite of city leaders saying that the current staff would be given an opportunity to transfer to other city departments or to join F&V, the decision was met with fierce opposition by IBEW, whose leaders threatened possible legal action against the city.

Phil Barnett, a representative with the union who spoke out against the decision to privatize last month, said he believed the newly inked deal was “a win for the city, and a win for the workers.”

“I am really pleased with how it turned out, and that we were able to work with the city to take care of our needs, and that they, in turn, took care of their workers’ needs,” Barnett said.

With the new deal on the books, the city is expected to finish contract negotiations with F&V Operations in the eminent future, Lyons said.`

In addition to working out terms of employment at the plant, the new contract also stipulates a 6 percent pay raise for employees covered by the union, spilt into 2-percent increments over the next three years.

The city’s electrical linemen will also receive an additional boost to their pay rates, with  $1 increase s coming this year and 2018 and a 75 cent increase in 2019. The workers will also be paid a $150 lump sum.

The additional pay is meant to bring the electrical workers’ pay more in line with those in neighboring communities of a similar size to Dowagiac, and should help attract new employees to work for the city should any current staff members retire, Lyons said.

“It doesn’t bring us as high as we want to be, but it is the best option we have available at this time,” Lyons said.