City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: June 28, 2022
Agenda Item: 5.I
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Lori Gentles, Chief People Officer, Human Resources Department Subject: Adoption of a Resolution accepting the tentative agreements and authorizing the City Manager to negotiate and execute Memoranda of Understanding with the Public Attorneys Union (PAU) and and the Public Attorneys’ Legal Support Staff Union (PALSSU) and a Side Letter of Agreement with the Coalition of Santa Monica Employees (Coalition), and revise the Executive Pay Plan
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt the proposed Resolution (Attachment A) accepting the tentative agreements and authorizing the City Manager to negotiate and execute Memoranda of Understanding with the Public Attorneys Union (PAU) and the Public Attorneys’ Legal Support Staff Union (PALSSU) and a Side Letter of Agreement with the Coalition of Santa Monica Employees (Coalition), and revise the Executive Pay Plan (EPP);
2. Adopt the salary schedule (Attachment B); and
3. Authorize budget changes as outlined in the Financial Impacts & Budget Actions section of this report.
Summary
In accordance with the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (MMBA), negotiations between the City and the Public Attorneys Union (PAU) and the Public Attorneys’ Legal Support Staff Union (PALSSU) have resulted in a Tentative Agreement (TA) regarding a successor Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with each bargaining unit. Additionally, the City and the Coalition of Santa Monica Employees (Coalition) have met and conferred and have reached a TA on the terms and conditions of –medical benefits for miscellaneous employees. The City has also modified the pay plan for the department heads and other executive-level employees, referred to as the Executive Pay Plan (EPP). 2 of 6
Discussion
Under the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (MMBA) in California, local public agencies negotiate with exclusively recognized employee organizations on wages, hours, and working conditions. The City currently is in negotiations with ten of these employee organizations (often referred to as bargaining groups or unions) whose contracts with the City expire on June 30, 2022.
Public Attorneys’ Union
The Public Attorneys’ Union (PAU) represents 23 attorneys in the City Attorney’s Office The classifications range from Deputy City Attorney I-III and Chief Deputy City Attorney.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City and PAU, and between the City and PALSSU, each establishes wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. The current agreement’s term is effective from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2022.
Public Attorneys’ Legal Support Staff Union
The Public Attorneys’ Legal Support Staff Union (PALSSU) represents 19 members who are the support staff in the City Attorney’s Office. The MOU between the City and PALSSU, each establishes wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment.
Both PAU and PALSSU finalized the ratification voting process, approving the terms of the TA. City staff recommend the Council approve the ratified TA to establish successor agreements between the City and Coalition. These bargaining units represent the first two groups to reach tentative agreements; the City is actively negotiating with eight other bargaining units.
Miscellaneous Employees’ Coalition
Negotiations with Coalition representatives were largely informal and resulted in an expedited agreement regarding the medical benefits and conditions of the MOU between the City and the Coalition. The City and the Coalition reached a tentative 3 of 6
agreement regarding the terms and conditions of medical benefits for Coalitionrepresented employees.
The Coalition finalized the ratification voting process, approving the terms of the TA.
City staff recommend the Council approve the ratified TA to establish a Side Letter Agreement between the City and Coalition.
City staff recommend the Council approve the ratified TA to establish successor agreements between the City and Coalition.
The overall policy of the City has been to maintain competitive benefits and working conditions in a high-cost geographic labor market in order to retain and attract a highquality workforce to serve our community across a wide range of specialized services.
Since most, though not all, City jobs are most comparable to those in other (competing) municipal organizations, the City has traditionally looked to full-service cities in our region of similar size and financial strength for labor market comparisons. The terms of the tentative agreements bring the City closer in alignment with our ten comparable peer cities while simultaneously preserving a level of benefits that will keep the City of Santa Monica competitive in a tight labor market. Peer cities include Anaheim, Beverly Hills, Burbank, Culver City, El Segundo, Glendale, Inglewood, Pasadena, Redondo Beach, Santa Barbara, and Torrance.
The substantive changes are outlined below:
Coalition - Medical
• Term of Agreement: January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2023 • Continuation of status quo for one additional year to expire December 31, 2023 PAU
• Term of Agreement: July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2025 • July 1, 2022 = 4.5% salary increase plus a one-time signing bonus of $2,000, 4 of 6
effective July 1, 2022, or the first pay period following Council approval of the MOU, whichever is later.
• July 1, 2023 = 3% salary increase
• July 1, 2024 = 2% salary increase
• Add Cesar Chavez and Juneteenth as paid holidays
• Restoration of Sick Leave Buyback Program
PALSSU
• Term of Agreement; July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2025 • July 1, 2022 = 4.5% salary increase plus a one-time signing bonus of $2,000, effective July 1, 2022, or the first pay period following Council approval of the MOU, whichever is later.
• July 1, 2023 = 3% salary increase
• July 1, 2024 = 2% salary increase
• Restoration of Sick Leave Buyback Program
• One additional non-cashable leave day
• Add Cesar Chavez and Juneteenth as paid holidays
EPP
• Term of Pay Plan: July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2025 5 of 6
• July 1, 2022 = 4.5% salary increase plus a one-time signing bonus of $2,000, effective July 1, 2022, or the first pay period following Council approval of the MOU, whichever is later.
• July 1, 2023 = 3% salary increase
• July 1, 2024 = 2% salary increase
• Allow for annual changes to the employee contributions for the 401(a) plan. • Tuition Reimbursement increase from $2,000 per fiscal year to $2,500 per fiscal year.
• Add Cesar Chavez and Juneteenth as paid holidays
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
The total cost of the negotiated changes contained in the tentative agreements presented in this report is approximately $825,000 for FY 2022-23. The budget impact of these changes was included in the FY 2021-22 through FY 2027-28 Five-Year Financial Forecast for the General Fund and Big Blue Bus Fund. If the changes are approved, staff will appropriate the FY 2022-23 changes in Non-Departmental for the General Fund and Big Blue Bus Fund. The funds will be transferred to the relevant funds and department accounts along with the FY 2021-22 Year-end Budget changes being presented to Council on October 25, 2022.
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Prepared By: Ericka Reinke, Senior HR Analyst
Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. PALSSU.PAU.EPP.Coalition Roll-Over RESO 6.28.22
B. FY21-22 Step Salary Grades 4.5% 6.28.2022