6-Bargaining-Unit Cross-Walk
Six bargaining units plus non-bargaining management — analyzed within and across.
Per RFP Addendum #1, the City of Keene's 223 positions are organized across six bargaining units plus a non-bargaining management/exempt cohort. Each unit has its own CBA, pay logic, pension group, and step structure — but the City needs cross-unit comparability for internal equity. Our methodology treats each unit as a first-class analytical object AND maintains a cross-unit normalization layer.
Total in scope
223
positions across all units
Bargaining units
6
per RFP Addendum #1
Non-bargaining
42
management / confidential / exempt
Pension systems
3
NHRS Group I / II Police / II Fire
Keene Police Officers Association
AFT Local #6246
38
positions
Police Officer I/II/III, Sergeants, Detectives, SROs (non-supervisor)
Confirmed via NH PELRB CBA registry (G-L index).
Keene Police Department Supervisors
AFT (separate unit)
6
positions
Police Lieutenants, Captains (excluding Chief and Deputy Chief)
Confirmed via NH PELRB CBA registry.
Professional Firefighters of Keene
IAFF Local (city-specific)
32
positions
Firefighter / Paramedic, Firefighter / EMT, Fire Inspector (non-supervisor)
Confirmed via NH PELRB CBA registry.
Keene Fire Department Supervisors
IAFF (separate supervisor unit)
9
positions
Lieutenants, Captains, Battalion Chiefs (excluding Chief, Assistant Chief)
Confirmed via NH PELRB CBA registry.
Public Works & General Municipal Employees
AFSCME Council 93 (likely — verify at kickoff)
88
positions
DPW Highway, Water/Wastewater Operators, Parks Maintenance, Library Assistants, clerical
Sixth-unit composition to be verified against Keene HR at kickoff. AFSCME Council 93 is the dominant NH municipal AFSCME affiliate.
Dispatch / Communications Unit
Separately certified bargaining unit
8
positions
911 Dispatchers, Communications Supervisor
Provisional designation as 6th BU pending Keene confirmation; could alternately be a parks/library cluster or assessing/clerk unit.
Non-Bargaining (Management, Confidential, Exempt)
—
42
positions
Dept Heads, Confidential staff to City Manager, exempt professional/managerial roles
Includes 12 Department Heads + Asst City Manager + Deputy Chiefs + confidential staff.
How We Treat 6-Unit Complexity
Each unit gets its own pay-grade logic AND a cross-unit normalization layer.
- ▸Within-unit analysis respects each CBA's step structure, longevity tiers, and certification differentials — we do not flatten union pay logic into a single grade system.
- ▸Cross-unit normalization uses a point-factor evaluation overlay so the City can see internal equity across units even though their pay structures differ. For example: a Mid-Career Police Officer III, a Mid-Career WWTP Operator III, and a Mid-Career Senior Accountant get compared on a common analytical baseline, even though their CBAs are entirely different documents.
- ▸Public safety total-comp gets its own deep-dive per Addendum #1. Group II pension (33.88% Police / 32.91% Fire) is a much larger cost layer than Group I (12.83%), so cost modeling has to keep them distinct or you mis-read the City's true compensation posture.
- ▸Implementation roadmap is BU-by-BU — what can land via administrative action vs what requires MOU vs what waits for the next CBA negotiation cycle. The City Manager and Finance Director get a clear punch list, not a single "recommended pay schedule" that hides the negotiation work.
Headcounts and 6th-unit composition illustrative pending Keene HR confirmation at engagement kickoff. CBA sources cross-referenced via NH Public Employee Labor Relations Board collective bargaining agreement index.