Agenda Item #12.6
For Council Meeting of: September 13, 2022
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: AMY REEVE, DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES, HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT SUBJECT: APPROVAL AND ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION ELIMINATING THE BUS OPERATOR TRAINEE CLASSIFICATION AND PAY SCALE AGENDA ACTION: RESOLUTION
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended by the Human Resources Department that Council, by resolution: 1) adopt a Side Letter to the Memorandum of Understanding for Unit 8 – Transit; and 2) authorize the City Manager to execute the Side Letter and eliminate the Bus Operator Trainee classification and pay scale, as a recruitment and retention strategy, retroactive to April 1, 2022.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
By adopting this resolution, Council will eliminate the Bus Operator Trainee Classification and Pay Scale, bringing newly hired Bus Operators in at Step 1 of the higher range to attract applicants to the position and retain employees throughout the training period. This will allow the City to remain competitive with surrounding jurisdictions, while attracting qualified applicants. All newly hired Bus Operators would begin at Step 1 ($24.87) of the Bus Operator range, retroactive to April 1, 2022.
BACKGROUND
The City and Service Employees International Union (SEIU), representing Unit 8 – Transit, have met and conferred concerning a Side Letter Agreement to amend the existing Memorandum of Understanding and have agreed on eliminating the Bus Operator Trainee Classification and corresponding pay range, so that new hires will be hired at Step One of the Bus Operator range during their training period. This would bring the starting salary for Bus Operator Trainees to $24.87 per hour, instead of $19.04 per hour, in the existing Bus Operator Trainee pay scale.
The current language in Section 66.7 of the Unit 8 Memorandum of Understanding states that “Bus Operators in training shall begin at a wage rate of Step 1 of the Bus Operator Trainee salary range and progress to a maximum of Step 2 of the Bus Operator Trainee salary range according to the terms of the CityBus Operating Procedures.” CityBus Standard Operating Procedures Section IX (Training) specifies that the training period will not exceed 90 days and that trainees deemed to be fully competent prior to conclusion of the 90-day period shall advance to the first step of the Bus Operator salary schedule.
Current Pay Scales:
Position
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Bus Operator Trainee
19.04 20.88
Bus Operator
24.87 26.09
27.41 28.74
30.23 ANALYSIS
Chapter 2-36 of the Santa Rosa City Code and the Rules and Regulations pertaining to Employer-Employee Relations adopted thereunder, establishes procedures and a reasonable period of time for the meet and confer process, to take place between the City's management representatives and representatives of recognized employee organizations, all in accordance with the provisions of the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act and applicable laws.
Bringing all new Bus Operator hires in at Step 1 of the current pay scale would allow the City to attract employees to the position and retain them during the training period. A review of surrounding jurisdictions revealed that this higher initial pay would be more aligned with the compensation for Bus Operators from surrounding agencies. Additionally, other agencies such as the City of Petaluma are also eliminating the Trainee pay scale to attract qualified candidates.
After meeting and conferring with the Union, it was agreed that this request would be retroactive to April 1, 2022, in order to address four (4) recently hired Bus Operators, who should receive the higher rate of pay during the training period, to ensure new hires do not come in at a higher rate than recently hired incumbents.
FISCAL IMPACT
By eliminating the Bus Operator Trainee position, the Transit Enterprise Funds will make a one-time payment of salaries retroactive to April 1, 2022, in the amount of $1,345. This payment can be made from appropriations adopted with the FY 2022-23 annual budget. Since Bus Operators are funded by the Transit Enterprise funds, there will be no impact on the General Fund.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a project which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Not applicable.
NOTIFICATION
Not applicable.
ATTACHMENTS
Resolution / Exhibit A – Side Letter to the Memorandum of Understanding
CONTACT
Amy Reeve, Director of Human Resources, [email protected] (707) 543-3070
ADOPTION OF SIDE LETTER ELIMINATING THE BUS OPERATOR TRAINEE CLASSIFICATION AND PAY SCALE PAGE 2 OF 3