Ann Arbor officials announced another breakthrough with one of the city's labor unions Monday night as the City Council voted 10-0 to approve a new contract with the five-member Police Service Specialists collective bargaining unit.

The four-year contract is retroactive to July 1, 2009, and runs through June 30, 2013.

Council Member Stephen Rapundalo, D-2nd Ward and chairman of the council's labor committee, said the city and the union reached a settlement on a new agreement that includes no wage increases and an updated health care plan.

"Basically it brings those folks in line with some of the other smaller unions that have adopted similar agreements and the nonunion salaried staff," he said. "So it's another little piece, and we're hoping that'll serve yet as another model for the police, fire and AFSCME."

The members of PSS — a small group of civilian employees who work in the police department — have agreed to switch to a lower-cost health care plan that the city offers to its nonunion employees and some of the smaller collective bargaining units that have agreed to switch over.

PSS employees now will have the choice between a high plan and a low plan, just like many other city employees, and they'll see an increase to two co-pays for every three months of mail order prescriptions. The contract also increases employee pension contributions to 6 percent pre-tax and eliminates a matching payment.

City officials considered the contract a small step forward as the city continues to work with other bargaining units — namely the police, fire and AFSCME unions — to make similar concessions. Negotiations with the public safety unions in particular have proven difficult.

Council Member Stephen Kunselman, D-3rd Ward, asked if there was an estimation of the general fund savings from the negotiated contract with PSS. Tom Crawford, Ann Arbor's interim city administrator, said he didn't have that information immediately available.

Council Member Tony Derezinski, D-2nd Ward, was absent.

Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's e-mail newsletters.