The City ofSouth
San Francisco
Memorandum of Understanding
Between the
Confidential Unit, Teamsters Local 856
and the
City of South San Francisco
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
Page ii July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027
City of South San Francisco
Confidental Unit, Teamsters Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027
Table of Contents
Article Title Page
Preamble ................................................................................................................ 1
1. Recognition............................................................................................................ 1
2. Union Membership and Dues................................................................................ 1
2.1 Notification of New Employees.................................................................. 1
2.2 Indemnify and Hold Harmless .................................................................... 1
2.3 Payroll Deductions...................................................................................... 1
2.3.1 Payroll Deduction Procedures .......................................................... 2
2.3.2 Suspension of Union Dues During Leave of Absence ..................... 2
2.4 Communication With Employees ............................................................... 3
2.5 Advance Notice ........................................................................................... 2
2.6 Copies of Memorandum of Understanding................................................. 2
3. Salaries .................................................................................................................. 2
3.1 Definitions................................................................................................... 2
3.1.1 Base Pay............................................................................................ 2
3.1.2 Enhanced Pay.................................................................................... 2
3.2 Wage Rates.................................................................................................. 2
3.2.1 Year 1................................................................................................ 3
3.2.2 Year 2................................................................................................ 3
3.2.3 No Retroactivity................................................................................ 3
3.3 Market Increases ......................................................................................... 3
3.4 Compensation Survey ................................................................................. 3
3.5 Salary Schedule ........................................................................................... 3
3.6 Temporary Assignment to Higher-level Position........................................ 3
3.7 Longevity Pay Plan ..................................................................................... 3
3.7.1 Fifteen Years of Service ................................................................... 3
3.7.2 Twenty Years of Service .................................................................. 4
3.8 Education Incentive Pay.............................................................................. 4
3.9 Bilingual Incentive Pay ............................................................................... 4
3.9.1 Classifications Eligible for Bilingual Incentive Pay ........................ 4
3.9.1.1 Prior Additional Eligibility Criteria ................................. 4
3.9.1.2 Eligibility Criteria Effective 2022.................................... 4
3.9.2 Current Languages in Effect............................................................. 4
3.9.3 Testing and Compensation ............................................................... 5 City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 Page iii
Article Title Page
3.9.4 Translating........................................................................................ 5
3.10 Payment of Compensation .......................................................................... 5
3.11 Standby Compensation................................................................................ 5
3.12 Holiday Standby ......................................................................................... 5
4. Health and Welfare Plans...................................................................................... 5
4.1 Medical Insurance ....................................................................................... 5
4.1.1 Available Medical Plans................................................................... 5
4.1.2 Payment of Premium Costs.............................................................. 6
4.1.2.1 Employee HMO Medical Premium Cost ......................... 6
4.1.2.2 Employee Non-HMO Medical Premium Cost................. 6
4.1.3 Effective Date of Coverage .............................................................. 6
4.1.4 Change in Medical Plan Providers................................................... 6
4.2 Dental Insurance.......................................................................................... 6
4.2.1 Core Dental Plan .............................................................................. 6
4.2.2 Calendar Year Maximum................................................................. 6
4.2.3 Orthodontia....................................................................................... 6
4.2.4 Payment of Premium Costs.............................................................. 6
4.2.5 Effective Date of Coverage .............................................................. 6
4.2.6 Buy-up Dental Plan .......................................................................... 6
4.3 Vision Insurance.......................................................................................... 6
4.3.1 Available Plan .................................................................................. 6
4.3.2 Payment of Premium Costs.............................................................. 6
4.3.3 Effective Date of Coverage .............................................................. 7
4.4 Discretionary Benefit Option ...................................................................... 7
4.4.1 Proof of Alternate Insurance ............................................................ 7
4.4.2 Exercising the Option....................................................................... 7
4.5 Life Insurance and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance ....... 7
4.5.1 Term Life Value ............................................................................... 7
4.5.2 AD&D Value.................................................................................... 7
4.5.3 Payment of Premium Costs.............................................................. 7
4.5.4 Effective Date of Coverage .............................................................. 7
4.5.5 Supplemental Life Insurance............................................................ 7
4.6 Disability Insurance Program...................................................................... 7
4.6.1 Short-term Disability ...................................................................... 7
4.6.2 Long-term Disability....................................................................... 8
4.6.3 Payment of Premium Costs............................................................. 8
4.6.4 Effective Date of Coverage............................................................. 8
4.7 Paid Family Leave....................................................................................... 8
4.8 Retirement Plans ......................................................................................... 8
4.8.1 PERS Miscellaneous Retirement Formula ....................................... 8
4.8.1.1 2.7% at Age 55 Plan......................................................... 8 City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
Page iv July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027
Article Title Page
4.8.1.2 2% at Age 60 Plan............................................................ 8
4.8.1.3 2% at Age 62 Plan............................................................ 8
4.8.2 Employee Contributions to Retirement System............................... 8
4.8.3 IRS Tax Exemption.......................................................................... 8
4.8.4 Optional Provisions Added .............................................................. 9
4.8.4.1 Military Service Credit..................................................... 9
4.8.4.2 Sick Leave Service Credit................................................ 9
4.9 Section 457 Deferred Compensation Plan .................................................. 9
4.10 Section 125 Plan.......................................................................................... 9
4.10.1 Group Insurance Premium .............................................................. 9
4.10.2 Health Care Reimbursement ........................................................... 9
4.10.3 Dependent Care Reimbursement..................................................... 9
4.11 Education Expense Reimbursement Program............................................. 9
4.11.1 Qualifying for Education Expense Reimbursement Program......... 9
4.11.1.1 Department Head Approval ............................................. 9
4.11.1.2 Reimbursement Request................................................... 9
4.11.2 City Manager Approval................................................................... 10
4.12 Professional Development Expense Stipend............................................... 10
4.13 Retired Employee Benefits.......................................................................... 10
4.13.1 Group Medical Insurance for Qualifying Retirees.......................... 10
4.13.2 Medical After Retirement Account (“MARA”).............................. 10
4.13.3 Group Dental Insurance for Qualifying Retirees ............................ 10
4.13.4 Group Vision Insurance for Qualifying Retirees ............................ 10
5. Holidays................................................................................................................. 11
5.1 Observed Holidays...................................................................................... 11
5.2 Half-day Holidays....................................................................................... 11
5.3 Holiday Pay................................................................................................. 11
5.4 Holidays on a Weekend............................................................................... 11
5.5 Discretionary Holiday ................................................................................. 11
6. Overtime Pay and Compensatory Time Off.......................................................... 11
6.1 FLSA Work Period...................................................................................... 11
6.2 Overtime Pay............................................................................................... 12
6.2.1 Approval for Overtime ..................................................................... 12
6.3 Compensatory Time Off.............................................................................. 12
6.3.1 Maximum Compensatory Time........................................................ 12
6.3.2 Payment of Compensatory Time...................................................... 12
6.3.3 Use of Compensatory Time.............................................................. 12
6.3.4 Department Rules............................................................................. 12
7. Vacation Leave...................................................................................................... 12
7.1 Vacation Leave............................................................................................ 12 City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 Page v
Article Title Page
7.2 Maximum Vacation Accumulation ............................................................ 12
7.3 Scheduling................................................................................................... 13
7.4 Pay Upon Separation from City Service .................................................... 13
7.5 Vacation Cash-Out ...................................................................................... 13
8. Bereavement Leave ............................................................................................... 13
8.1 Bereavement Leave ..................................................................................... 13
8.2 Definition of Immediate Family for Bereavement Leave ........................... 13
9. Medical Appointment Leave ................................................................................. 13
9.1 Medical Appointment Leave ..................................................................... 13
9.2 Medical Appointment Leave Charged to Sick Leave................................ 14
10. Sick Leave ............................................................................................................. 14
10.1 Determination.............................................................................................. 14
10.2 Amount of Sick Leave................................................................................. 14
10.3 Sick Leave Management Policy.................................................................. 14
10.4 Protected Leave ........................................................................................... 14
10.5 Medical Appointments................................................................................ 14
10.6 Payment of Unused Accrued Sick Leave .................................................... 14
11. Industrial Injury or Illness Leave .......................................................................... 15
11.1 Injury Leave ................................................................................................ 15
11.2 Injury Leave Amount .................................................................................. 15
12. Disability Leave..................................................................................................... 15
12.1 Application for Benefits.............................................................................. 15
12.2 Insurance Premium Payment....................................................................... 15
12.3 Separation from City Service ...................................................................... 15
12.4 Light-duty Program..................................................................................... 15
12.4.1 Coverage ......................................................................................... 16
12.4.2 Determination Required Reports .................................................... 16
12.4.2.1 Assignments.................................................................... 16
12.4.2.2 Medical Updates............................................................. 16
12.4.3 Light-duty Assignment, Definitions, and Restrictions ................... 16
12.4.4 Holidays/Vacations During Light-duty Assignments..................... 17
12.4.4.1 Holidays Observed.......................................................... 17
12.4.4.2 Vacations ........................................................................ 17
12.4.5 Return to Full Duty ......................................................................... 17
13. Other Leaves.......................................................................................................... 17
13.1 Military Leave ............................................................................................. 17
13.2 Jury Duty..................................................................................................... 17
13.3 Pregnancy-related Disability and Bonding Leave....................................... 17
13.3.1 Pregnancy-related Disability........................................................... 17
13.3.2 Bonding........................................................................................... 17
13.3.3 Leave Usage.................................................................................... 18 City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
Page vi July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027
Article Title Page
13.4 Unpaid Leave of Absence ........................................................................... 18
13.5 Reinstatement Upon Return from Leave..................................................... 18
14. Recreational Facilities and Classes ....................................................................... 18
15. Notary Public Certification.................................................................................... 18
15.1 Certification Requirements for Employees Hired Prior to 7/1/00............... 18
15.2 Certification Requirements for Employees Hired After 6/30/00 ................ 18
16. Discipline............................................................................................................... 18
16.1 Disciplinary Action ..................................................................................... 18
16.2 Appeal Procedure for Final Disciplinary Action......................................... 19
16.2.1 Submission of Appeal..................................................................... 19
16.2.2 City Manager Review ..................................................................... 19
16.2.3 Arbitration....................................................................................... 19
16.2.3.1 Selection of Arbitrator .................................................... 19
16.2.3.2 Payment of Costs............................................................ 19
16.2.3.3 Arbitrator Duty ............................................................... 20
16.2.3.4 Arbitrator Decision ......................................................... 20
17. Grievance Procedure ............................................................................................. 20
17.1 Definition of a Grievance............................................................................ 20
17.1.1 Management Rights........................................................................ 20
17.2 General Conditions...................................................................................... 20
17.2.1 Extended Time Limits .................................................................... 20
17.2.2 Failure to Comply with Time Limits.............................................. 20
17.3 Grievance Steps........................................................................................... 20
17.3.1 Step 1: Immediate Supervisor (Problem Solving).......................... 21
17.3.2 Step 2: Second-line Supervisor....................................................... 21
17.3.3 Step 3: Department Head................................................................ 21
17.3.4 Step 4: City Manager...................................................................... 21
17.4 Binding Arbitration ..................................................................................... 21
17.4.1 Written Request .............................................................................. 22
17.4.2 Union Representation ..................................................................... 22
17.4.3 Selection of Arbitrator .................................................................... 22
17.4.4 Payment of Costs............................................................................ 22
17.4.5 Arbitrator Duty ............................................................................... 22
17.4.6 Arbitrator Decision ......................................................................... 22
18. Non-Discrimination............................................................................................... 23
18.1 Union Activity............................................................................................. 23
18.2 Protected Status........................................................................................... 23
19. Meeting and Paid Release Time ............................................................................ 23
20. Administration of Memorandum of Understanding.............................................. 23
20.1 Full and Entire Agreement .......................................................................... 23 City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 Page vii
Article Title Page
20.2 Administration of Agreement...................................................................... 23
20. Signatures.............................................................................................................. 24 Appendix A Confidential Unit, Teamsters Local 856 Classifications.................. 25
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
July 1, 2025 through June 30, TBD
Preamble
This Memorandum of Understanding is entered into by the City of South San Francisco, hereafter designated as “City” and the Teamsters Local 856, AFL-CIO, hereafter designated as “Union” as a mutual agreement for those wages, hours, and conditions of employment in effect during the period of July 1, 2025, through June 30,2027
Article 1. Recognition
Teamsters Union, Local 856 is recognized as the majority representative, as provided in City’s Resolution 111-99 adopted August 11, 1999, for all employees in the classifications assigned to the Confidential Unit as identified in Appendix A of this agreement.
Article 2. Union Membership and Dues
2.1 Notification of New Employees—The City shall notify the Union of the name, classification, job title, department, work location and date of hire of each new, transferred or promoted employee appointed to a position covered by this memorandum. Notice shall be provided to the Union within 30 calendar days from the date of hire or by the first pay period of the month following hire. The City shall provide the work, home, and personal cellular telephone numbers, work and personal email addresses, and home address on file with the employer. Notice shall be provided to the Union within one calendar month from the date of hire. The employer shall also provide the Union with this information for all employees in the bargaining unit at least every 120 days.
2.2 Indemnify and Hold Harmless—The Union shall indemnify and hold the City harmless from any cost of liability resulting from any and all claims, demands, suits, or any other action arising from the operating of this provision or from the use of the monies remitted to the Union, including the costs of defending against any such actions or claims. The Union agrees to refund to the City any amounts paid to it in error. In addition, the Union shall hold the City and its officers and employees, harmless for following the instructions contained in such dues deduction authorizations.
2.3 Payroll Deductions—The City shall withhold Union dues from the salary of an employee and remit withholdings to the Union, provided that the Union certifies in writing to the City that the Union has and will maintain each employee’s authorization for such deductions.
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
2.3.1 Payroll Deduction Procedures––The effective date of withholdings, time of remitting withholding to the Union, and all procedural matters shall be as mutually acceptable to the Union and the City, provided that the City’s payroll system and its operations are not thereby disrupted.
2.3.2 Suspension of Union Dues, During leave of Absence––An employee on unpaid leave of absence for a period of 30 calendar days or more shall not be required to pay Union dues during the period of the employees leave.
2.3.3 Teamsters D.R.I.V.E. Voluntary Contributions-- The City agrees to deduct voluntary contributions to Teamsters DRIVE (Democrat, Republican, Independent, Voter Education) from the pay of those employees who request, in writing, on a form supplied by the Union and submitted to the City, that such deductions be made. The effective date of withholdings, time of remitting withholding to the Union, and all procedural matters shall be as mutually acceptable to the Union and the City, provided that the City’s payroll system and its operations are not thereby disrupted.
2.3.4 2.4 Communication with Employees—The City shall provide the Union access to its new employee orientation onboarding process, in which new employees are advised of their employment status, rights, benefits, duties, and responsibilities, or other employmentrelated matters. The Union shall be provided at least 30 minutes to meet with the employee during this process. The Union shall receive not less than 10 days’ notice in advance of a new hire orientation, except that a shorter notice may be provided in a specific instance where there is an urgent need critical to the employer’s operations that was not reasonably foreseeable. The City shall also notify the Union within 10 days of any promotion or transfer of an employee into the Unit. The City shall provide the Union with the name, job classification, and date of hire of each new employee appointed to a position covered by this memorandum.
2.4.1 Notice to applicants—Job descriptions and job announcements shall clearly indicate that the position(s) advertised are represented by a Union and covered by a collective bargaining agreement. Digital postings shall provide a link to the MOU on the City webpage.
2.5 Bulletin Boards--The Union shall be provided suitable space on bulletin boards at the work location for posting notices concerning official union business. Such information shall be in compliance with applicable City and departmental policies.
2.6 Advance Notice—Except in cases of emergency as provided below, the Union, if affected, shall be given reasonable advance written notice of any ordinance, resolution, rule, or regulation directly relating to matters within the scope of representation proposed to be adopted by the City. The Union shall be given the opportunity to meet and confer with appropriate management representatives prior to the adoption of such an ordinance, resolution, rule, or regulation. Proper advance notice shall consist of written notice to the designated business agent. If public safety, public welfare, or an emergency arises that requires any of the above actions to be taken by the City without notice to the Union, the City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 Page 3
City may take the action while concurrently giving notice that affords the Union a reasonable time in which to meet with management representatives.
2.7 Copies of Memorandum of Understanding—The City shall post the MOU on the City’s Website.
Article 3. Salaries
3.1 Definitions—
3.1.1 Base Pay—Base pay is the rate of compensation paid for a specified classification of employment, excluding any other payments.
3.1.2 Enhanced Pay—Enhanced pay is the rate of compensation that includes base pay and incentive pay such as longevity, bilingual, education, and special assignment pay. Enhanced pay does not include acting pay or other temporary assignment pay.
Each incentive pay will be computed on base pay. The sum of the base pay plus each incentive is the enhanced pay.
3.2 Wage Rates—All members of the bargaining unit shall receive across-the-board base pay adjustments in the amounts and with the effective dates as follows:
3.2.1 Year 1—Effective, the first full pay period following the adoption of the MOU by Council, bargaining unit member salaries shall be increased by four percent (4%).
Nothwithstanding article 3.2.3, City agrees to an effective date of the first full pay period of July, 2025, if a tentative agreement is reached by June 30, 2025 and ratified no later than July 14, 2025.
3.2.2 Year 2—Effective the first full pay period of July 2026, bargaining unit member salaries shall be increased by percent (%).
3.2.3 No Retroactivity—There will be no retroactive across-the-board base pay adjustments.
3.3 Equity Increases—Members of the bargaining unit shall receive equity adjustments in the amounts as follows effective the first full pay period following the adoption of the MOU by Council:
Admin Assistant,Senior.......................................................... 1% Deputy City Clerk .................................................................. 1% Equity adjustments will be added to across-the-board increases to arrive at the year one salary increase. For example, the Senior Administrative Assistant will receive a 5.0% salary increase effective the first full pay period after Council approval of this MOU.
Compensation Survey—The City agrees to The City shall conduct a total compensation study for benchmark classifications within the bargaining and provide results to the union prior to the commencement of negotiations no later than February 1, 2027.
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
The comparative analysis shall include benchmark cities of Alameda, Daly City, Hayward, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Leandro, and San Mateo. The City and the Union may mutually agree to changes to the benchmark agencies prior to the commencement of the study. The study will include results based on base salary, total cash (base salary plus incentives and City-paid deferred compensation) and total compensation (all salary and City-paid benefits).
The City shall provide a list of benchmark classifications to review by August 1, 2026. If the Union has any feedback regarding the list of benchmark classifications, the Union shall provide it to the City no later than September 1, 2026.
3.4 Salary Schedule—Confidential positions shall have 5 pay steps that will provide for a differential of approximately 5% between steps. Employees may progress through the salary schedule based on satisfactory performance according to the following timelines of no less than 6 months each in steps 1 and 2, and 12 months each in steps 3 and 4.
3.5 Temporary Assignment to Higher-level Position—An employee assigned to the full scope of the duties of a higher classification shall not be paid the salary of that higher classification unless they serve in that capacity for 1-full day (8 hours) or more.
Compensation shall be paid at the first step of the higher-level position, or at the step that results in a pay increase of at least 5%, whichever is greater.
3.5.1 Duration—Acting assignments will normally be six(6) months or less. In the event that the assignment is anticipated to or actually does extend beyond six(6) months, the City will notify the Union regarding the circumstances requiring the extended assignment. Where operationally feasible, assignments of six (6) months or longer will be rotated among similarly qualified bargaining unit members.
3.5.2 Assignments—The City will make a good faith effort to assign acting assignments equitably to similarly qualified bargaining unit members within the same department or work unit.
3.6 Longevity Pay Plan—Regular full-time employees, shall receive longevity pay in accordance with the following schedule:
3.6.1 Ten Years of Service—After 10 full years of City service, 1% will be added to the employee’s base hourly rate of pay.
3.6.2 Fifteen Years of Service—After 15 full years of City service, in addition to above, another 2.5% of pay will be added to the employee’s base hourly rate of pay for a total of 3.5% of pay.
3.7 Education Incentive Pay—An employee who has successfully completed probation and who possesses a degree from an accredited college or university shall be eligible to receive education incentive pay as follows:
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 Page 5
3.7.1 Associate’s Degree—An employee who has completed probation and who has obtained an Associate degree in any field shall be compensated at 1% above the employee’s base hourly rate of pay.
3.7.2 Bachelor’s Degree—An employee who has completed probation and who has obtained a Bachelor’s degree or higher in any field shall be compensated at 2% above the employee’s base rate of pay.
3.7.3 Eligibility—Education pay shall only be granted where the degree obtained is not included as a minimum qualification for the employee’s job classification.
3.7.4 Education incentive pay will be effective the pay period following Department Head or designee approval following receipt of official transcripts. Education incentive pay is paid on a biweekly basis. To the extent permitted by law, education incentive shall be reported to CalPERS as special compensation per Title 2 California Code of Regulations, sections 571(a)(2) and 571.1(b)(2).
3.8 Bilingual Incentive Pay—
3.8.1 Classifications Eligible for Bilingual Incentive Pay—Positions eligible for bilingual incentive pay must be those that have regular contact with the public.
3.8.1.1 Prior Additional Eligibility Criteria—Those classifications that are eligible for bilingual incentive pay are identified below and include any title changes that may occur during the life of this agreement.
• Administrative Assistant I
• Administrative Assistant II
• City Clerk Records Technician
• Deputy City Clerk
• Executive Assistant to the City Manager
• Human Resources Technician
• Senior Administrative Assistant
3.8.1.2 Additional positions eligible - —Any employee in a classification other than those listed above who is routinely and consistently assigned to a position that requires communication skills other than English may be eligible for bilingual pay. Determining whether an employee’s assigned position requires communications skills other than English is at the sole discretion of the department head, with final approval by the City Manager.
3.8.2 Current Languages in Effect—To be eligible to participate in this program, employees must speak a second language used by a significant segment of South San Francisco population. For the duration of this agreement, the following languages shall qualify for an employee to receive the Bilingual Incentive Pay under this section.
• Spanish
• Tagalog
• American Sign Language
• Mandarin
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
• Cantonese
3.8.3 Testing and Compensation—An employee who has tested, using the City’s standard bilingual testing procedures and demonstrating to the department head’s satisfaction, proficiency in speaking a second language, shall be compensated at a rate 2.5% higher than the employee’s base hourly rate of pay. Such compensation shall commence the next pay period after the employee has passed a qualifying examination, as determined by the City, demonstrating proficiency in the language.
3.8.4 Translating—Employees who have met the criteria and are compensated for bilingual incentive pay must use those skills whenever the need arises. Employees may be asked to assist an individual who is doing business with the City at worksites other than their primary work location.
3.9 Payment of Compensation—Each employee shall be compensated on a biweekly basis.
Payment will normally be made on the Thursday immediately following the conclusion of a City pay period. The pay period consists of 14 calendar days and begins on a Friday and ends on a Thursday, which is the last day of the pay period. Employees who are in continuous paid regular status for a partial pay period shall receive prorated compensation for the pay period at the rate of 1/80 of the employee’s enhanced biweekly rate of pay for each hour of the pay period that the employee was on continuous paid regular status.
3.10 Standby Compensation—Compensation for standby shall be as follows:
• Employees taking standby shall receive $400 per week for each week they are on standby.
• Eligible positions for standby shall be as follows:
o Senior Computer Services Technician
o Computer Services Technician
3.11 Holiday Standby–––An employee taking standby, who is called to return to work on a holiday (midnight to midnight of the actual holiday), shall receive a minimum of 4 hours of compensation at 1.5 times the employee’s base hourly rate of pay.
3.12 Call-back Compensation—Employees who, in the course of their employment are called back to work outside of the employee’s normally scheduled work hours shall receive overtime pay at the rate of 1.5 times the employee’s enhanced rate of pay for each hour worked based on the conditions below:
3.12.1 Worksite call-back—An employee required to return to the worksite outside of the employee’s regularly scheduled hours shall receive a minimum of two (2) hours of overtime pay.
3.12.2 Electronic Call-back—An employee required to work electronically (e.g., by phone call or email) in excess of ten minutes outside of the employee’s regularly scheduled hours shall receive scheduled hours shall receive a minimum of 30 minutes of overtime pay for each electronic call back. This provision shall not apply to contacts made for the purposes of scheduling or for issues not requiring work to be performed.
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 Page 7
3.12.3 Except for employees receiving standby pay as provided in Article 3.9, or in emergency circumstances, employees shall not be required to be available for call-back work outside of normal work hours.
Article 4. Health and Welfare Plans
Full-time regular employees shall be eligible to receive insurance benefits, subject to the terms and conditions of the City’s contracts with health insurance providers, as follows:
4.1 Medical Insurance—
4.1.1 Available Medical Plans—Eligible employees shall be permitted to select medical insurance coverage for themselves and their eligible dependents from one of the following current medical plans the City has with the carriers, subject to the terms and conditions of the City’s contract with the providers:
• Kaiser Permanente
• Blue Shield of California
4.1.2 Payment of Premium Costs—The City shall pay the equivalent of the HMO premium cost for eligible employees and their dependents to the insurance provider for the plan selected by each employee.
4.1.2.1 Employee HMO Medical Premium Cost—Employee HMO Medical Premium Cost––All employees on the City’s medical plans shall contribute an amount equal to 10% of the HMO premium cost based on plan choice and category of coverage (single, two, family).
4.1.2.2 Employee Non-HMO Medical Premium Cost—Employees who elect more expensive plans shall pay any additional cost over the HMO rate of the plan provider elected based on coverage size (single, two or family).
4.1.3 Effective Date of Coverage—The effective date of health insurance shall be the first of the month following the date of hire, provided the employee properly submits a completed enrollment form within 31 days of the eligibility date. Coverage shall terminate at 12:00 midnight on the last day of the month in which the employee is on paid status prior to separation from employment with the City.
4.1.4 Change in Medical Plan Providers—Should the City determine that a change in medical plan providers is warranted, it may establish a committee, comprised of one union representative from each bargaining unit, to assist in assessing a change in plan providers.
4.2 Dental Insurance—
4.2.1 Core Dental Plan—Eligible employees and their dependents shall be provided dental insurance, subject to the terms and conditions of the City’s contract with the provider.
4.2.1.1 Calendar Year Maximum—The calendar year maximum is $2,000.
4.2.1.2 Orthodontia—The lifetime orthodontia coverage is $1,000 for eligible dependents.
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
4.2.2 Buy-up Dental Plan—Subject to the terms and conditions of the City’s contract with the provider, employees may participate in an enhanced dental plan by paying the additional coverage costs over the core dental plan.
4.2.3 Payment of Premium Costs—The City shall pay the premium costs for eligible employees and their dependents to the insurance provider.
4.2.4 Effective Date of Coverage—Coverage is effective on the first day of the month following the employee’s date of hire, provided the employee properly submits a completed enrollment form within 31 days of the eligibility date. Coverage shall terminate at 12:00 midnight on the last day of the month in which the employee is on paid status prior to separation from employment with the City.
4.3 Vision Insurance—
4.3.1 Available Plan—Eligible employees and their dependents shall be provided vision insurance, subject to the terms and conditions of the City’s contract with the provider.
4.3.2 Payment of Premium Costs—The City shall pay the premium costs for eligible employees and their dependents to the insurance provider.
4.3.3 Effective Date of Coverage—Coverage is effective on the first day of the month following date of hire. Coverage shall terminate at 12:00 midnight on the last day of the month in which the employee is on paid status prior to separation from employment with the City.
4.4 Discretionary Benefit Option—Employees who can demonstrate to the City’s satisfaction that they have proof of alternate medical insurance as described below, may elect to receive $550 per month in deferred compensation monies in lieu of medical, dental, and vision benefits through the City. If an employee exceeds the deferred compensation annual maximum contribution limit, any remaining City contributions will be made to the employee’s Medical After Retirement Account (MARA). In the event the parties discover that contributions to the employee’s deferred compensation account are not eligible under IRS rules, the parties will promptly meet and confer to bring the plan into compliance.
4.4.1 Proof of Alternate Insurance—The employee must provide proof of alternate minimum essential coverage for the employee and the employee’s tax family from another source, other than coverage obtained through Covered California.
4.4.2 Exercising the Option—Employees wishing to exercise this option may do so by submitting a completed Discretionary Benefit Option form to the Human Resources Department. Employees may change the discretionary benefit option once each year during the open enrollment period for medical plans, or at another time during the year provided the employee has a qualifying event and submits requisite paperwork within 30 days of the qualifying event.
4.5 Life Insurance and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance—
4.5.1 Term Life Value—Subject to the terms and conditions of the City’s contract with the provider, the amount of Life Insurance benefit for employees is $50,000.
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 Page 9
4.5.2 AD&D Value—Subject to the terms and conditions of the City’s contract with the provider, the maximum amount of Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance benefit available is $50,000.
4.5.3 Payment of Premium Costs—The City shall pay the premium costs for eligible employees to the insurance provider.
4.5.4 Effective Date of Coverage—Coverage is effective on the first day of the month following date of hire. Coverage shall terminate on the date the employee ceases to be an employee of the City.
4.5.5 Supplemental Life Insurance—Employees have the option of purchasing supplemental life insurance based on the terms and conditions of the City’s contract with the insurance provider.
4.6 Disability Insurance Program—Subject to the terms and conditions of the City’s contract with the provider, full-time employees shall be provided Short-term Disability (STD) and Long-term Disability (LTD) insurance. If an eligible and covered employee becomes disabled while insured, the provider will pay benefits according to the terms of the group policy after receipt of satisfactory proof of loss.
4.6.1 Short-term Disability—After a 20-day waiting period, an eligible employee may receive 66.67% of pre-disability earnings, reduced by any deductible income as determined by the insurance carrier, up to a maximum monthly amount, until LTD benefits begin.
4.6.2 Long-term Disability—After a 90-day waiting period, an eligible employee may receive 66.67% of pre-disability earnings, reduced by any deductible income as determined by the insurance carrier, up to a maximum monthly amount.
4.6.3 Payment of Premium Costs—The City shall pay the premium costs for medical, dental, vision, and life insurance for eligible employees to the insurance providers.
4.6.4 Effective Date of Coverage—Coverage is effective the first day of the calendar month following the date of hire. Coverage ends on the date employment terminates.
4.7 Paid Family Leave—Subject to the terms and conditions of the City’s contract with the provider, a qualifying employee shall be eligible for paid family leave benefits to provide partial wage replacement for up to eight (8) weeks for the purposes of caring for a seriously ill family member, bonding with a newly born child, adopted child, or fostered child, or to attend to a qualifying exigency related to covered active military duty of a family member.
The Paid Family Leave benefit calculation shall be equivalent to that of the California State EDD benefit as of September 1, 2022, which is 60% of base weekly salary, as determined by the insurance carrier, up to a weekly maximum of $1,620 (or a higher amount as set by the insurance carrier).
4.8 Retirement Plans—The benefit contract in effect between the City of South San Francisco and the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) on behalf of eligible employees of this Unit shall be continued during the term of this agreement. Retirement benefits shall be those established for miscellaneous employees by the Federal Social Security Act City of South San Francisco
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providing Old Age and Survivor’s Insurance and the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS or PERS) Miscellaneous Employees.
4.8.1 PERS Miscellaneous Retirement Formula—
4.8.1.1 2.7% at age 55 Plan—Classic Members as defined by CalPERS who were hired before April 24, 2010, will be provided a retirement benefit formula of 2.7% at age 55 with one-year final compensation.
4.8.1.2 2% at Age 60 Plan—Classic Members as defined by CalPERS who were hired on or after April 24, 2010, will be provided a retirement benefit formula of 2% at age 60 with three-year final compensation.
4.8.1.3 2% at Age 62—New Members as defined by PEPRA who are hired on or after January 1, 2013, will be provided a retirement benefit formula of 2% at age 62 with 3-year final compensation.
4.8.2 Employee Contributions to Retirement System—The rate prescribed by the Social Security Act for employee contributions shall be deducted from the pay by the City and forwarded to the system in accordance with the rules and regulations governing such employee contributions. The PERS rate for employee contributions shall be deducted from employees’ pay by the City and forwarded to PERS in accordance with the rules and regulations governing such contributions.
4.8.3 IRS Tax Exemption—The City has obtained a 414(h)(2) exemption from the Internal Revenue Service, granting a deferral from federal withholding taxes of that portion of the employee’s contribution to PERS. This exemption is for all miscellaneous employees, who are now responsible for their individual PERS contributions, and now receive the 414(h)(2) exemption.
4.8.4 Optional Provisions Added—Optional Public Agency Provisions under PERS shall also be provided as follows:
4.8.4.1 Military Service Credit—An employee who has served in the military may be eligible for Military Service Credit, as authorized by Government Code §20990.
4.8.4.2 Sick Leave Service Credit—Effective 4/11/2001, and as provided for in the Public Employees Retirement Law.
4.9 Section 457 Deferred Compensation Plan—Employees are eligible, subject to the terms and conditions thereof, to participate in the Deferred Compensation Plans available to City employees.
4.9.1 Auto-Enrollment—All new hires will be automatically enrolled in the deferred compensation plan and will begin savings contributions in the pre-tax 457 plan after 30 days of employment, unless the employee makes an election not to participate, or to contribute a different amount. New hires may waive or opt out of automatic enrollment before the first payroll deduction by providing Human Resources with written notice of their desire to not contribute to the plan. The default deferral percentage starts at 3% and gradually increases by 1% each year that an employee participates, up to a maximum of 6%.
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 Page 11
4.10 Section 125 Plan—Subject to the terms and conditions of the City’s plan, each employee may participate in the IRS-defined section 125 plan.
4.10.1 Group Insurance Premium Plan—Participants pay premium contributions for employee and dependent coverage under the City’s health care plans on a pre-tax basis, unless waived by the participant.
4.10.2 Health Care Reimbursement—Participants may set aside salary up to the IRS statutory maximum per calendar year on a pre-tax basis to be used to reimburse their out-of-pocket eligible health care expenses.
4.10.3 Dependent Care Reimbursement—Participants may set aside salary up to the IRS statutory maximum per calendar year for reimbursement of out-of-pocket eligible dependent care expenses.
4.11 Education Expense Reimbursement Program—An employee who takes a course at an accredited institution of learning shall be eligible to receive reimbursement up to $2,000 per fiscal year for the costs of tuition, fees, and course materials. If such costs exceed $2,000 per fiscal year, the City shall reimburse the employee up to 50% of the additional cost up to a total of $5,000.
4.11.1 Qualifying for Education Expense Reimbursement Program—In order to qualify for reimbursement, the employee must:
4.11.1.1 Department Head Approval—Prior to enrollment, receive the written approval of the department head. The employee will submit a request, along with a description of the course, which briefly describes how the course may advance the employee’s career with the City and/or its relevance to the employee’s job. The department head will make a determination to accept or reject the request.
4.11.1.2 Reimbursement Request—Submit a request reimbursement to the City Manager which includes the following
• A copy of the department head’s written approval of the course • A copy of the employee’s grade for the course
• Receipts for all expenses related to the course with a total amount requested for reimbursement
4.11.2 City Manager Approval—The City Manager shall approve the employee’s request for reimbursement provided that the employee has prepared the request in compliance with this policy.
4.12 Professional Development Expense Stipend—In each fiscal year, all bargaining unit employees shall receive a $500 stipend for professional development. The stipend shall be used for professional reference materials, outside training, extra coursework, and professional organization membership. Stipends shall be paid in the first full pay period in January of each year, and shall not be prorated for new employees. Employees who have submitted their intent to separate from the City shall not be eligible for this stipend.
4.13 Retired Employee Benefits—
Group Medical Insurance for Qualifying Retirees—An employee who was hired on or prior to April 24, 2010, may elect to continue his or her City sponsored medical insurance if the City of South San Francisco
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employee is enrolled in the City's group medical plan and retires concurrently with CalPERS and the City. In order to be eligible for this benefit, the employee must have five years of continuous City employment at the time of his or her retirement. The monthly premium that the City will make for retiree medical insurance pursuant to this provision equals the monthly monetary contribution that the City makes for single retiree medical HMO coverage, or single retiree group Medicare plan coverage,if Medicare eligible. Retirees will be required to pay any additional costs in order to receive retiree medical benefits. An eligible retiree may also elect to continue dependent coverage provided that the retiree bears the full premium costs for any eligible dependents. A retiree must continually receive a CalPERS retirement allowance in order to remain eligible to receive retiree medical insurance contributions. Any retiree that unretires from CalPERS and returns to active service with a CalPERS covered agency, or whose coverage is cancelled due to non-payment of any additional premiums for 180 days or more, will permanently forfeit their eligibility for retiree medical benefits pursuant to this provision.
4.13.1 Medical After Retirement Account (“MARA”) Employer Contribution—An employee who was hired after April 24, 2010, will receive a City contribution of one and one-half percent (1.5%) of such an employee’s base salary toward a Medical after Retirement Account (e.g., VEBA or similar City-sponsored plan).
4.13.2 Group Dental Insurance for Qualifying Retirees—An employee may elect to continue his or her City sponsored dental insurance if the employee is enrolled in the City's group dental plan and retires concurrently with CalPERS and the City. In order to be eligible for this benefit, the employee must have five years of continuous City employment at the time of his or her retirement, and be eligible for group medical insurance pursuant to Article 4.13. The retiree bears the full premium costs for himself/herself and any eligible dependents and will be completely responsible for these payments and for continuing dental coverage.
4.13.3 Group Vision Insurance for Qualifying Retirees—An employee may elect to continue his or her City sponsored vision insurance if the employee is enrolled in the City's group vision plan and retires concurrently with CalPERS and the City. In order to be eligible for this benefit, the employee must have five years of continuous City employment at the time of his or her retirement and be eligible for group medical insurance pursuant to Article 4.13. The retiree bears the full premium costs for himself/herself and any eligible dependents and will be completely responsible for these payments and for continuing vision coverage.
Article 5. Holidays
5.1 Observed Holidays—The City observes the following holidays:
January 1 ................................................................ New Year’s Day Third Monday in January....................................... Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Third Monday in February..................................... President’s Day Last Monday in May.............................................. Memorial Day City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 Page 13
June 19 ................................................................... Juneteenth July 4...................................................................... Independence Day First Monday in September.................................... Labor Day Second Monday in October ................................... Indigenous Peoples’ Day November 11.......................................................... Veteran’s Day Fourth Thursday in November............................... Thanksgiving Day Friday following Fourth Thursday in November... Day After Thanksgiving December 25 .......................................................... Christmas Day
5.2 Half-day Holidays—In addition, the City observes the following half-day holidays:
December 24 .......................................................... Christmas Eve Day December 31 .......................................................... New Year’s Eve Day
5.3 Holiday Pay—Employees shall be entitled to receive compensation for 8 hours of holiday time for each full holiday and 4 hours of holiday time for each half-day holiday, with holiday time considered as hours worked. In order to be eligible for holiday pay, an employee must be on paid status the last scheduled workday before and the first scheduled workday after the holiday.
5.4 Holidays on a Weekend—When any of the aforementioned holidays fall on a Sunday, it shall be observed on the following Monday; any holiday falling on a Saturday shall be observed on the previous Friday. Half-day holidays shall be observed on the workday immediately previous the day upon which Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are observed.
5.5 Discretionary Holiday—Each full-time regular employee shall be eligible for eight hours of paid discretionary holiday each calendar year, in addition to the holidays observed by the City. The discretionary holiday accrues in the first pay period of each calendar year.
New hires will accrue the discretionary holiday upon their appointment as a regular employee with the City. Once accrued, this discretionary holiday should be used before vacation leave. An employee who has not used this holiday by the end of the last pay period of the calendar year, shall forfeit the holiday for that year. No annual cash payouts will be allowed.
Article 6. Overtime Pay and Compensatory Time Off
6.1 FLSA Work Period—The FLSA standard work period is a seven-day work week that begins at 12:01 am Friday and ends at 12:00 midnight the following Thursday. Any exceptions to this work period will be documented and maintained on a list shared between the Human Resources Department and the Union. Nothing in this provision is intended to affect the right of any employee to overtime pursuant to the terms of this MOU.
6.2 Overtime Pay—Non-exempt employees who work in excess of the normal 40-hour workweek will receive overtime pay at 1.5 times their enhanced hourly rate of pay for all overtime hours worked.
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
6.2.1 Approval for Overtime—No employee shall work overtime without the express prior approval of the employee’s department head or designee.
6.3 Compensatory Time Off—With the department head’s or designee’s approval, employees may receive compensatory time in lieu of overtime pay. If granted, compensatory time shall be earned at the rate of 1.5 times each overtime hour worked.
6.3.1 Maximum Compensatory Time—Employees may accumulate at the rate of 1.5 times to an equivalent maximum of eighty80 hours of compensatory time in lieu of pay for such overtime. Employees will be paid for the overtime hours that exceed the cap and cannot accrue further compensatory time until they have reduced their accrued hours below the 80 hour cap.
6.3.2 Payment of Compensatory Time—Payment of accrued compensatory time upon termination of employment or transfer out of the department will be made at the employee’s final regular rate of pay. The City reserves the right to pay out accrued compensatory time at any time at the regular rate of pay earned by the employee at the time the compensatory time is paid.
6.3.3 Use of Compensatory Time—Employees may use accrued compensatory time in accordance with departmental policies. Such policies may include but are not limited to notice required before use of compensatory time, and such other matters necessary to ensure that operations are not unduly disrupted by use of compensatory time off.
Article 7. Vacation Leave
7.1 Vacation Leave—Regular full time employees shall accrue vacation as follows:
Length of Continuous Service Biweekly Accrual Rate Annual Rate 0 through completion of fourth year.................... 4.62 hours 15 days Fifth through fourteenth year .............................. 6.16 hours 20 days Fifteenth through twenty-fourth years................. 7.69 hours 25 days Twenty-fifth and succeeding years ..................... 9.23 hours 30 days
7.2 Maximum Vacation Accumulation—An employee may accumulate up to two times the annual accrual rate of vacation hours as unused vacation. Once an employee has accumulated two times the annual accrual, no further vacation leave will accrue until the pay period after the vacation balance has been reduced below the two-year cap.
7.3 Scheduling—The times during the year at which an employee may take vacation shall be determined by the department head with due regard for the wishes of the employee and particular regard to the needs of the service.
7.4 Pay Upon Separation from City Service—Employees separating from the City Service shall be paid at their current enhanced hourly salary rate for all unused accrued vacation hours.
7.5 Vacation Cash-Out—Employees shall be allowed to cash out up to 40 hours of unused accrued vacation per calendar year with the following provisions:
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 Page 15
• Employees must have completed a minimum of one year of service. • Employees must maintain a minimum of 80 hours of accrued vacation hours in their vacation bank.
• Vacation hours shall be compensated at the employee’s enhanced rate of pay as of the date of the cash-out.
• Employees must complete an irrevocable election form and submit the completed form to the Human Resources Department no later than December 15 of the calendar year prior to the year of the desired cash-out. Only time accrued during the calendar year following the irrevocable election may be cashed out. • Vacation hours may be cashed out twice per year in May and November, as long employees have submitted an irrevocable election form in the prior year.
Article 8. Bereavement Leave
8.1 Bereavement Leave—Each regular employee shall be granted up to five days of bereavement leave in accordance with State Law and City Administrative Instruction Section VI No. 40. Concurrently, an employee may take paid leave upon the death of, or for the funeral of, a family member as defined below:
8.2 Definition of Immediate Family for Bereavement Leave—As used herein for bereavement leave, immediate family is defined to be spouse, registered domestic partner with the State of California, parent, sibling, grandparent, child, grandchild, parent-in-law, sibling-in-law, child-in-law, or a person identified as the employee’s “designated person” for the purpose of protected sick leave.
8.3 Paid Bereavement Leave—
8.3.1. Leave Within California—Employees may be granted up to a maximum of 24 hours of paid bereavement leave per occurrence for the death or funeral of a family member within California. The employee may use vacation leave, sick leave, and/or compensatory time to supplement their paid bereavement leave, so that the employee can take up to five (5) full days of leave for the death or funeral of a family member within California.
8.3.2. Leave Outside California—Employees may be granted up to a maximum of 40 hours of paid bereavement leave per occurrence for the death or funeral of a family member outside California. If an employee’s daily work schedule ids more than 8 hours per day, the employee may use vacation leave, sick leave, and/or compensatory time to supplement their paid bereavement leave, so that the employee can take up to five (5) full days of leave for the death or funeral of a family member within California.
Article 9. Medical Appointment Leave
9.1 Medical Appointment Leave—Each employee may be granted leave without loss of salary or benefits for the purpose of going to appointments with medical doctors or dentists in City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
instances where the employee is reasonably unable to arrange for such appointments to occur during non-work time.
9.2 Medical Appointment Leave Charged to Sick Leave—Medical appointment leave shall be charged to sick leave as follows with the first 8 hours per calendar year not charged to sick leave and any other absences relating to appointments charged to sick leave.
Article 10. Sick Leave
10.1 Determination—An employee who is ill or injured, or is entitled to use sick leave for other purposes as required by law, is entitled to paid sick leave as follows:
10.2 Amount of Sick Leave—Employees will accrue 8 hours per month of employment for purposes of sick leave. Such leave may be accumulated without limit.
10.3 Sick Leave Management Policy—All permanent and probationary employees who are temporarily and/or partially disabled from performing the full scope of duties within their classification as a result of an injury or illness that is not industrially caused, are eligible to receive sick leave without loss of salary or benefits. As identified in the City’s Sick Leave Management Policy Administrative Instruction, abuse of sick leave is defined as the use of sick leave for purposes other than illness or injury. Consistent with this policy, the monitoring, management, maximum use of sick leave, and reporting should conform to a general City standard. Therefore, employees exceeding 56 hours or 7 occurrences of sick leave per calendar year will be subject to a review of sick leave usage. Leave taken as protected sick leave pursuant to Article 10.4 and leave taken concurrently with approved FMLA/CFRA/PDL Leave shall be excluded from the 56-hour total.
10.4 Protected Sick Leave—Employees are permitted to use up to half of their annual sick leave allotment, in any calendar year, for the following purposes:
• the diagnosis, care, or treatment of an existing health condition of, or preventative care for, themselves;
• the diagnosis, care, or treatment of an existing health condition of, or preventative care for, an employee’s child (regardless of age or dependency status), parent, spouse, registered domestic partner, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, and parent of the employee’s spouse or registered domestic partner, or a “designated person” as defined by labor code 233 (only one person may be designated for any 12 month period); and
• If the employee is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, to obtain any relief to help ensure the health, safety or welfare of the employee or his or her child.
10.5 Medical Appointments—Employees should reasonably attempt to schedule appointments with health care practitioners or dentists when such appointments can occur outside of work hours.
10.6 Payment of Unused Accrued Sick Leave—Employees are eligible to receive payment for unused accumulated sick leave. An employee shall be paid at the employee’s enhanced City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 Page 17
hourly rate of pay for half of the accumulated sick leave hours. However, no employee shall receive payment of any accrued sick leave hours in excess of 1,200; the maximum payable hours is 600. Employees are eligible to receive payment for unused accumulated sick leave in the following circumstances:
• Death; or
• Disability Retirement from CalPERS; or
• Full-service retirement provided that all the following conditions are met:
o 10 years of consecutive full-time City service;
o Simultaneous retirement from City service and receipt of a service retirement from CalPERS.
Article 11. Industrial Injury and Illness Leave
11.1 Injury Leave—An employee, who is temporarily and/or partially disabled from performing work as a result of any injury or illness that has been determined to be industrially caused and the injury or illness necessitates the employee’s absence from work, shall be entitled to receive paid injury leave without loss of salary or benefits.
11.2 Injury Leave Amount—Employees shall be eligible to receive this paid injury leave for all time the employee is normally scheduled to work but is unable to work during a period of 90 calendar days following the date in which the injury or illness caused the period of temporary and/or partial disability and necessitated the employee’s absence from work. An employee receiving paid industrial injury or illness leave shall assign to the City all workers’ compensation insurance proceeds received by the employee for all of the time in which the employee also received paid leave from the City.
Article 12. Disability Leave
12.1 Application for Benefits—An employee who is non-industrially disabled from performing the full scope of the usual and customary duties of the classification as the result of an injury or illness and has utilized all accrued sick leave and paid leave for which the employee is eligible, may file an application for short-term and/or long-term disability benefits in accordance with the requirements of the City’s Short-term and Long-term Disability insurance policy. The elimination period for the long-term disability plan is 20- calendar days. Employees will not be required to utilize sick leave in excess of this elimination period in order to qualify for disability payment.
12.2 Insurance Premium Payment—The City will continue to pay insurance premiums on behalf of a disabled employee and dependents, pursuant to the provisions for such payments otherwise provided in this agreement until the actual date of separation from City employment of the employee.
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
12.3 Separation from City Service—The City will not separate an employee until he/she has been qualified for Long-term Disability benefits for a period of at least 90 days, except in those instances where the City and the employee agree to an earlier separation.
12.4 Light-duty Program—The purpose of this light-duty program is to minimize the loss of productive time, while at the same time reintroduce the employee to work to prevent deterioration of skills, facilitate recovery, and reduce income loss. Light-duty assignments will be structured so that an employee is not placed in a duty status that would aggravate or cause a reoccurrence of injury or illness. Light-duty assignments will not be made unless the employee receives medical clearance from the treating physician to return for light duty. This program shall be coordinated with applicable workers compensation benefits so that benefits are provided at the level not less than those mandated by state law.
12.4.1 Coverage—This light-duty program will cover any employee who suffers a temporary and partial disability due to an industrial or non-industrial injury or illness.
12.4.2 Determination/Required Reports—
12.4.2.1 Assignments—Light-duty assignments may be made following evaluation and determination by the department head. The determination will be based on available medical information, and consultation with the employee or the affected supervisor. Determinations will also be based on the needs of the City and the impact of light duty on departmental operations. The evaluation and determination of light-duty assignments will be based on the employee’s medical restrictions and upon agreement of the department head, the employee, and the affected supervisor.
12.4.2.2 Medical Updates—Updated medical reports shall be submitted to the department head at two-week intervals, or at other agreed upon intervals, for as long as the employee is off work. Reports will be required for all industrial or non-industrial injuries or illnesses regardless of whether a light-duty assignment has been made. Reports will be evaluated by the department head for purposes of continuing or terminating a current lightduty assignment or to determine when to commence a light-duty assignment.
12.4.3 Light-duty Assignment, Definitions, and Restrictions—Light-duty assignments shall only be provided to employees with temporary disabilities where it has been medically determined that the employee will be able to return to the essential functions of his/her current job with or without accommodation. In no event will light duty assignments extend beyond reaching Maximum Medical Improvement, and under no circumstances shall the light-duty assignment be considered to be a permanent alternative position for purposes of reasonable accommodation under the American with Disabilities Act. Light-duty assignments:
• May consist of reduced work hours, limited work, or any combination thereof.
• Will not adversely affect the employee’s normal wage rate.
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 Page 19
• Will be within the employee’s assigned department; or if no regular work is available, the employee may be assigned work outside of the department consistent with skill and ability.
• When feasible will be during the employee’s normal shift and duty hours.
However, if it is determined that no useful work will be performed during the normal shift or duty hours, the employee can be assigned light duty during the normal office hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• Will be developed based for specific light-duty assignments on a case-bycase review of the medical restrictions, so as not to aggravate an injury or illness.
12.4.4 Holidays/Vacations During Light-duty Assignments—
12.4.4.1 Holidays Observed—Holidays during light-duty assignments shall be observed in accordance this agreement.
12.4.4.2 Vacations—Employees assigned to light duty shall take their vacation as normally scheduled. Vacations shall cover the same number of workdays and calendar days as would have been if the employee had remained on full duty. Employees may reschedule their vacation with the approval of the department head, provided the rescheduling does not result in increased costs or lost time to the City for relief staff to cover the rescheduled vacation.
12.4.5 Return to Full Duty—Employees will be returned to full duty as soon as possible following medical certification that the employee is able to resume the full duties of the classification with or without reasonable accommodation.
Article 13. Other Leaves
13.1 Military Leave—Military leave shall be granted in accordance with the provisions of applicable state and federal law.
13.2 Jury Duty—Employees must notify their supervisors when called to jury duty. All time at jury duty will be applied toward the employee’s regular workday. The employee must submit record of hours at jury duty. Given the many different schedules employees work, modification of work hours for such jury duty will be left to the discretion of the department head or designee, and may be appealed to the Director of Human Resources.
13.3 Pregnancy-related Disability and Bonding Leave—Shall be granted in accordance with the provisions of applicable state and federal law.
13.3.1 Pregnancy-related Disability—Employees may be granted leave up to the maximum period of time permitted by law for disabilities caused or contributed to by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions for reason of the birth of a child or the placement of a child with an employee in connection with adoption.
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
13.3.2 Bonding—An employee who is no longer disabled from performing work due to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions for reason of the birth of a child and is medically released to return to work, shall be allowed to use accumulated vacation, and/or an unpaid leave of absence upon the written request of the employee.
13.3.3 Leave Usage—The employee must first use all eligible accumulated paid leave before being granted unpaid leave.
13.4 Unpaid Leave of Absence—The City may grant an employee in a permanent position a leave of absence without pay not to exceed 1 year. A request for the leave and the reason therefore shall be submitted in writing and must be approved by the department head and the City Manager.
13.5 Reinstatement Upon Return From Leave—Upon expiration of the approved leave, the employee shall be reinstated to the former classification without loss of service credits or benefits (subject to the terms of the contracts with the benefit providers) accrued prior to said leave. However, during the period of the leave, the employee shall not accumulate service credits, nor shall the City continue contributions toward group insurance or the retirement plan.
Article 14. Recreational Facilities and Classes
14.1 Admission to Classes--Employees shall be entitled to free admission to City recreation facilities and to free enrollment in up to six (6) recreational classes during a 12-month period (lab fees or ingredient fees not included). Up to three (3) of the six (6) classes may be utilized by an employee’s spouse, domestic partner, or dependent child.
14.2 Use of Facilities—Employees using City recreation facilities and enrolled in City recreational classes shall engage in such activities on the employee’s non-work time.
Employee admission to recreation facilities and recreation classes shall be accomplished in conformance with the rules and regulations established by the Parks and Recreation Department.
14.3 Childcare Services—All bargaining unit employees shall be eligible for a 50% discount for City Childcare services for their dependent children. Enrollment is subject to availability.
Article 15. Notary Public Certification
15.1 Certification Requirements for Employees Hired Prior to 7/1/00—Those Confidential Unit members employed in a unit-covered classification as of 6/30/00 may choose not to obtain notary public certification.
15.2 Certification Requirements for Employees Employee Hired After 6/30/00—Those Confidential Unit members employed in a unit-covered classification after 6/30/00 may be required to obtain notary public certification, as determined by their department head or the Director of Human Resources.
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 Page 21
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
Article 16. Discipline
16.1 Disciplinary Action—The City shall only take disciplinary action against a regular, nonprobationary employee for just cause following the procedures set forth in the City of South San Francisco Personnel Rules and Regulations. Disciplinary action shall include but is not limited to written reprimand, suspension, demotion, reduction in pay, and termination.
16.2 Appeal Procedure for Final Disciplinary Action—Appeals of final discipline (in the form of suspensions, demotions, reductions in pay, and terminations) are subject to the following procedures:
16.2.1 Submission of Appeal—An employee may appeal a disciplinary action by submitting a written request with the Director of Human Resources within fifteen calendar days from the date the notice of discipline was served on the employee.
16.2.2 City Manager Review—Within fifteen days from receiving the employee’s written appeal, the City Manager or designee shall respond to the employee regarding the disciplinary action in writing. Within this period at the City Manager’s discretion, an informal hearing involving the employee may be conducted. For suspensions of five days or less or other lesser disciplinary actions, the City Manager or designee’s review is final.
16.2.3 Arbitration—For appeals of terminations, demotions, suspensions of more than five days, or any other type of discipline that results in a loss of pay for more than five days, if the City Manager or designee’s review did not resolve the appeal to the satisfaction of the employee, the employee or Union, on the employee’s behalf, must inform the Human Resources Director of the employee’s intent to proceed to arbitration in writing within ten calendar days from the date of the City Manager’s response.
16.2.3.1 Selection of Arbitrator—An arbitrator shall be selected by mutual agreement or by requesting a list of no less than 5 arbitrators from the California State Mediation and Conciliation Service, each of whom must have at least 5 years of experience handling arbitrations for local public agencies. The parties will attempt to agree on an arbitrator from any such list obtained. If the parties cannot agree on an arbitrator, each party shall cross off 1 name on the list, the first party to cross off a name to be determined by a flip of a coin. The final name left on such list shall be the Arbitrator.
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 Page 23
16.2.3.2 Payment of Costs—If the Union is representing the employee in the disciplinary appeal, the Union and the City will split the cost of the arbitrator’s fee equally. In the event that either party wishes to obtain the services of a court reporter, that party will be solely responsible for the reporter’s fees, including the cost of providing the original transcription to the arbitrator. If the arbitrator, as opposed to either party, requires that the proceedings be taken down by a court reporter, the parties will equally split the cost of the reporter’s fee and the cost of the original transcript. Each party will pay for the cost of an additional copy for the use of that party if a copy is desired.
16.2.3.3 Arbitrator Duty—The arbitrator will be empowered to hear evidence, review exhibits, hear argument and make findings of fact and conclusions.
Based on those findings and conclusions, the arbitration shall make a final and binding determination about the merits of the appeal. The arbitrator is not empowered to make any alterations to the terms and conditions of this MOU, or to the City’s rules, regulations, policies or procedures. The arbitrator is not empowered to make any order or directive that would require any party to commit an illegal act.
16.2.3.4 Arbitrator Decision—The parties agree that any decision rendered by the arbitrator will be final and binding, meaning that it cannot be appealed to any other legal or administrative tribunal, except pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 1285 et seq. which allows parties to petition a court to confirm, correct or vacate an arbitration award.
Article 17. Grievance Procedure
17.1 Definition of Grievance—A grievance is defined as any dispute involving the interpretation, application, or alleged violation of any provision of the MOU between the City and the Union, excluding however, those provisions of the MOU which specifically provide that the decision of any City official shall be final, and where the MOU includes a procedure that governs the dispute.
17.1.1 Management Rights—The grievance process does not cover decisions within management rights, such as: (1) classifications of positions; (2) recruitment, selection, appointment, and examination processes; (3) extensions of probationary periods; (4) non-disciplinary transfers, reassignments, reorganization, and reallocation of positions; (5) the content of performance evaluations; (6) requiring employees to submit to fitness for duty evaluations; and (7) layoffs (as opposed to the impacts of layoffs).
17.2 General Conditions—
17.2.1 Extended Time Limits—Any time limit set forth in this article may be extended by mutual written agreement between the City and the Union.
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
17.2.2 Failure to Comply with Time Limits—Failure on the part of the Union to comply with the time limits of this procedure or any extensions thereto shall constitute a withdrawal of the grievance without further recourse to re-submittal. Failure on the part of the City to comply with the prescribed time limits or extensions shall result in the grievance being moved to the next step of the procedure.
17.3 Grievance Steps—The general steps in the grievance procedures are as follows. Note that some steps in the grievance procedure may be eliminated if the employee reports to a department head or if the employee’s second-line supervisor is the department head.
17.3.1 Step 1: Immediate Supervisor (Problem Solving)—Employees shall bring their grievances to the attention of their immediate supervisor within 15 calendar days of the occurrence of the act causing the basis for the grievance or the employee’s first knowledge of the occurrence.
17.3.2 Step 2: Second-line Supervisor—If the grievance is not resolved at Step 1 within 15 calendar days of the date the grievance is raised with the immediate supervisor, the employee shall have the Union Steward submit a formal written grievance to the employee’s second-line supervisor. If the employee chooses to formally pursue the grievance, it shall be presented by the Union Steward, in writing within 15 calendar days after the immediate supervisor’s decision. The written grievance shall contain the following information:
• Grievant’s Name and Signature
• Grievant’s Department and Specific Work Site
• Name of the Grievant’s Immediate Supervisor
• Statement of the Nature of the Grievance, including date and place of occurrence
• Specific Provision, Policy or Procedure alleged to have been violated • Remedies Sought by Grievant
• Name of the Union Steward designated as the Grievant Representative in the processing of the Grievance.
Within 15 calendar days of receipt of the grievance, the second-line supervisor or designee shall return a copy to the Union Steward and the employee with an answer in writing. If the grievance is not resolved at this level, the Union shall have 15 calendar days from receipt of the answer in which to file an appeal to the department head.
17.3.3 Step 3: Department Head—An employee dissatisfied with the decision of the second-line supervisor in Step 2 may have the Union Steward submit the written grievance to the department head within 15 calendar days from the date of the second-line supervisor’s decision. The department head or designee shall respond in writing to the Union Steward within 15 calendar days from the date of its receipt.
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 Page 25
17.3.4 Step 4: City Manager—If the employee is dissatisfied with the decision of the department head in Step 3, the written grievance may be submitted by the Union Steward to the City Manager, within 15 calendar days from receipt of the department head’s response. The City Manager or designee shall respond to the Union Steward regarding the grievance in writing within 15 calendar days of its receipt. Within this period, at the City Manager’s discretion, an informal hearing involving the parties to the dispute may be conducted. The decision of the City Manager or designee is final, subject to the below appeal provision.
17.4 Binding Arbitration—The Union may appeal the City Manager or designee’s decision on the grievance to binding arbitration so long as all the following steps are fully complied with.
17.4.1 Written Request—The Union Steward must submit a written request for arbitration with the Director of Human Resources which must be received no later than 15 calendar days following the City Manager or designee’s decision on the grievance.
If this written request is not received by the Director of Human Resources within this time frame, the appeal will be waived.
17.4.2 Union Representation—The union must sign the written request for arbitration signifying that it intends to represent the employee during all arbitration proceedings arising from the request for arbitration.
17.4.3 Selection of an Arbitrator—An arbitrator will be selected by the union and the City by mutual agreement or by requesting a list of no less than 5 arbitrators from the California State Mediation and Conciliation Service, each of whom must have at least 5 years of experience handling arbitrations for local public agencies. The parties will attempt to agree on an arbitrator from any such list obtained. If the parties cannot agree on an arbitrator, each party shall cross off 1 name on the list, the first party to cross off a name to be determined by a flip of a coin. The final name left on such list shall be the Arbitrator.
17.4.4 Payment of Costs—The Union and the City will split the cost of the arbitrator’s fee equally. In the event that either party wishes to obtain the services of a court reporter, that party will be solely responsible for the reporter’s fees, including the cost of providing the original transcription to the arbitrator. If the arbitrator, as opposed to either party, requires that the proceedings be taken down by a court reporter, the parties will equally split the cost of the reporter’s fee and the cost of the original transcript. Each party will pay for the cost of an additional copy for the use of that party if a copy is desired
17.4.5 Arbitrator Duty—The arbitrator will be empowered to hear evidence, review exhibits, hear argument and make findings of fact and conclusions. Based on those findings and conclusions, the arbitration shall make a final and binding determination about the merits of the appeal. The arbitrator is not empowered to make any alterations to the terms and conditions of this MOU, or to the City’s rules, regulations, policies or procedures. The arbitrator is not empowered to make any order or directive that would require any party to commit an illegal act.
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
17.4.6 Arbitrator Decision—The parties agree that any decision rendered by the arbitrator will be final and binding, meaning that it cannot be appealed to any other legal or administrative tribunal, except pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 1285 et seq. which allows parties to petition a court to confirm, correct or vacate an arbitration award.
Article 18. Non-Discrimination
18.1 Union Activity—Neither the City nor the Union will discriminate against a person covered by this Memorandum of Understanding because of his or her exercise of rights under the MOU or his or her union activities or failure to participate in union activities.
18.2 Protected Status—The parties individually agree that they will not engage in any act or practice or pursue any policy which is discriminatory against any employee on the basis of race, color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 years and over), sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status, protected medical leaves (requesting or taking leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act or the California Family Rights Act), domestic violence victim status, political affiliation, and any other status or characteristic protected by state or federal law.
Article 19. Meeting and Paid Release Time
Prior to making any revisions to this Memorandum of Understanding, the City will meet with members of the Confidential Employees’ Unit. The City agrees to grant a maximum of three members of this bargaining unit’s negotiating team one hour release time prior to the negotiation City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 Page 27
meeting with the City and one hour after the meeting for the purpose of discussing negotiations.
Article 20. Administration of Memorandum of Understanding
20.1 Full and Entire Agreement—This Confidential Employees Memorandum of Understanding sets forth the compensation program for members of the Unit and any prior or existing understanding or agreements regarding these matters, whether formal or informal, are hereby superseded or terminated in their entirety. In the event that the provisions of this Memorandum of Understanding are found to be in conflict with a City rule, regulation, or resolution, the provisions of this agreement shall prevail over such conflicting rule, regulation, or resolution.
20.2 Administration of Agreement—The City Manager may establish such policies, rules, and regulations as are deemed appropriate to the effective administration of the Agreement.
Members of the Confidential Employees Unit shall comply with all such policies, rules, and regulations as may be established by the City Manager. The City Manager shall be empowered to grant or to impose administrative leave without loss of pay or benefits for members of the Confidential Employees Unit for any purpose deemed by the City Manager to be appropriate to circumstances.
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
Article 21. Signatures
Signed on this date: _________________________, 2025.
For the Union: For the City:
Peter Finn, Principal Officer Teamsters 856 Jesse Lad, Chief Negotiator Mark Leach, Chief Negotiator Leah Lockhart, Human Resources Director Kathy Borg Sharon Ranals, City Manager
Anita Palafox
Mary Ann Spediacci
City of South San Francisco
Confidential Employees’ Unit, Teamsters, Local 856
Memorandum of Understanding
July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 Page 29
Appendix A
Confidential Unit, Teamsters Local 856 Classifications
Confidential Employees Defined-The Confidential Employees Unit shall consist of all full-time employees employed in the positions, which are included in the non-exempt service of the City of South San Francisco, as well as such classifications as may be added to this Group by the City.
Those classifications in the Confidential Unit are the following:
Administrative Assistant I
Administrative Assistant II
City Clerk Records Technician
Computer Services Technician
Deputy City Clerk
Executive Assistant to the City Manager
Human Resources Technician
Payroll Specialist I
Payroll Specialist II
Senior Administrative Assistant
Senior Computer Services Technician
Former or inactive classifications that have been in the Confidential Unit include:
Data Business Systems Specialist
Published by
Human Resources Department
City of South San Francisco
Street Address: Mailing Address:
City Hall
400 Grand Avenue, First Floor P. O. Box 711
South San Francisco CA 94080 South San Francisco CA 94083 Web Site: 650/877-8522 Tel
www.ssf.net 650/829-6698 Fax