Pfu yd<d b4 PlavTo 6ri )a lva q'q -7La P/rU ne CeY'trvtei-r wies -tb (/t Loun,al
Joint Public Statement - Teamsters Union Local 542 & Imperial Police Officers Association (IPOA) Call for Responsible Leadership and a Return to Good-Faith Negotiations Honorable Mayor, Members of the City Council, and Residents of Imperial:
Teamsters Union Local 542 and the Imperial Police Officers Association (IPOA) stand together today because the future of Imperial's workforce, and the quality of services provided to this community, is being put at risk by the City's current negotiation strategy.
For years, both of our organizations have negotiated directly with authorized City staff. Those negotiations were professional, respectful, and productive. They resulted in agreements that were fair, fiscally responsible, and supported by both the City and its employees. That process worked. It protected public funds, strengthened public services, and maintained trust between the City and its workforce.
That changed when the City handed negotiations to a private consultant, who is now driving conflict at the public's expense.
The City's Chief Negotiator, Peter Nguyen, has taken negotiations in a direction that is costly, confrontational, and harmful to the employees who keep Imperial running every day. His most recent statement to both organizations halted progress and pushed the City further away from a fair agreement.
This is not speculation; it is a documented pattem seen in multiple agencies across Califomia. You've heard the evidence during last weeks council meeting. The evidence is readily available.
These are not the hallmarks of a collaborative negotiator. They are the hallmarks of a strategy built on conflict, a strategy the City and residents of Imperial are now paying for.
Every hour of delay is more billable hours. Every step toward impasse increases taxpayer costs. Every conflict means more public money spent on a consultant instead of the workforce.
Residents deserve to lcnow that public.funds are being used to prolong cory/lict. not resolve it.
Last week, the City Council was being asked to approve a City Manager contract with a substantial salary increase and benefits, while at the same time, stating it "cannot afford" reasonable increases for its employees. The proposed City Manager Contract shows the City C4NAfford Faimess, Though the matter was paused for the time being, this is not the behavior of a City facing financial hardship.
This is the behavior of a City choosing where to invest, and choosing not to invest in the employees who serve the public every day.
Our Organizations Are United in Callingfor a Return to Good-Faith Negotiations! Teamsters Union Local 542 and IPOA jointly request:
l. Immediate resumption of negotiations with both organizations.
2. Negotiations conducted by authorized City staff, as has been the longstanding and successful practice.
3. A full evaluation by the City Council of the financial impact, delays, and public-service consequences of the current negotiation strategy.
4. A renewed commitrnent to transparency, accountability, and responsible use of public funds.
Imperial's employees are not the problem. They are the solution. They are the people who keep this City operational, safe, and functioning every single day.
What we are asking for is simple: Leadership that serves the public, not private consultants. Negotiations that build agreements, not conflict. A process that respects the workforce, not undermines it.
We stand ready to negotiate in good faith. We ask the City Council to restore the process that has always worked: direct negotiations with City staffwho understand Imperial, its employees, and its community.
Respectfully,
Teamsters Un
By: Date Za ?-b
Flavio Grijalva" Agent
Imperial Police Association (IPOA)
By: Date
Mark Janosz,
I
ll\