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Date: December 17, 2024
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Aram Chaparyan, City Manager
By: Jamie Le, Assistant to the City Manager | [email protected] Subject: City Manager – Approve Side Letter Agreements Between Torrance Fire Fighters Association (TFFA) and Management and Torrance Municipal Employees-AFSCME Local 1117 (TME-AFSCME) and Management. Expenditure: $30,000 (General Fund).
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation of the City Manager that City Council:
1. Approve a Side Letter Agreement between Torrance Fire Fighters Association and Management adding bilingual pay; and
2. Approve a Side Letter Agreement between the Torrance Municipal Employees-AFSCME Local 1117 (TME-AFSCME) and Management regarding supplementary parking enforcement.
FUNDING
Funding is available in the General Fund’s fiscal year 2024-25 operating budget and is anticipated to be available in subsequent fiscal years.
DISCUSSION
In previous years, Management and the various employee groups have produced "side letter" agreements to address issues that come up in between contract negotiations.
A side letter is an agreement between an employer and union that typically: (1) modifies, clarifies, or interprets an existing provision in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU); or (2) addresses issues of interest to the parties that are not otherwise covered by the MOU. These agreements need to be approved by City Council in open session. This is particularly important if the side letter agreement pertains to income subject to the California Public Employees’ Retirement System’s (CalPERS) reporting requirements, such as salary adjustments and premiums. As such, staff requests the formal approval by City Council memorializing the following:
• Agreement between Management and TFFA adding bilingual pay for qualified employees
• Agreement between Management and TME-AFSCME to implement supplementary parking enforcement with a focus on street sweeping parking violations. 1 City Council
December 17, 2024
ATTACHMENTS
1. Side Letter – TFFA Bilingual Pay
2. Side Letter – AFSCME Supplemental Parking Enforcement 2 ATTACHMENT 1
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0 December 17, 2024
TO: Rebecca Poirier, City Clerk
FROM: Jamie Le, Assistant to the City Manager
RE: MANAGEMENT and TORRANCE FIRE FIGHTERS ASSOCIATION (TFFA) JOINT LETTER
OF AGREEMENT REGARDING BILINGUAL PAY
Management and Torrance Fire Fighters Association met and have reached agreement as noted on the attached document. Section 14.8.14.b of the Torrance Municipal Code reads:
“If agreement is reached by management and a recognized employee organization or recognized employee organizations, on matters subject to approval by the City Council, they shall jointly prepare a written and signed memorandum of such understanding and present it to the City Council for determination. If agreement is reached on matters not subject to approval by the City Council, those conferring shall jointly prepare a written and signed memorandum of such agreement which shall be filed with the City Clerk. "
Pursuant to the last sentence of the above paragraph, the City Manager's Office is filing the attached agreement with your office.
Management Torrance Fire Fighters Association
(TFFA)
/s/ Jamie Le /s/Ryan Mendivil
/s/ Fire Chief David Dumais /s/ Chris Koch
3 ATTACHMENT 1
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0 Joint Agreement between the City of Torrance and Torrance Fire Fighters Association (TFFA) Regarding Bilingual Pay
The Joint Agreement between the City of Torrance and Torrance Fire Fighters Association (TFFA) regarding Longevity Pay and Vacation Accruals reads as follows:
Section 3.9 entitled “Bilingual Pay” of Article 3 entitled “Special Compensation Provisions” is added in its entirety as follows:
“ARTICLE 3-SPECIAL COMPENSATION PROVISIONS
SECTION 3.9 Bilingual Pay
TFFA employees who volunteer to participate in the program will fill out a Request for Bilingual Test Form located on TEN and send it to Human Resources. Human Resources will arrange testing through the City of Torrance Bilingual Program. The Department will be advised of those who pass the test. Eligible employees shall receive $125 per month effective the first pay period after notification of successful examination.” Signed this 17th day of December 2024
Management Torrance Fire Fighters Association
(TFFA)
____________________________ ____________________________ Jamie Le Ryan Mendivil
Assistant to the City Manager President
_____________________________ ____________________________ David Dumais Chris Koch
Fire Chief Vice President
4 ATTACHMENT 2
December 17, 2024
TO: Rebecca Poirier, City Clerk
FROM: Jamie Le, Assistant to the City Manager
RE: MANAGEMENT and TORRANCE MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES - AMERICAN
FEDERATION OF STATE, COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES (TME-AFSCME)
JOINT LETTER OF AGREEMENT REGARDING SUPPLEMENTAL PARKING
ENFORCEMENT PILOT PROGRAM
Management and Torrance Municipal Employees- American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (TME-AFSCME) have met and reached agreement as noted on the attached document. Section 14.8.14(b) of the Torrance Municipal Code reads:
"If agreement is reached by management and a recognized employee organization or recognized employee organizations, on matters subject to approval by the City Council, they shall jointly prepare a written and signed memorandum of such understanding and present it to the City Council for determination. If agreement is reached on matters not subject to approval by the City Council, those conferring shall jointly prepare a written and signed memorandum of such agreement which shall be filed with the City Clerk." Pursuant to the last sentence of the above paragraph, the City Manager's Office is filing the attached agreement with your office.
Management Torrance Municipal Employees
(TME-AFSCME)
/s/ Aram Chaparyan /s/ David Inez
____________________________________ ____________________________________ /s/ Jamie Le /s/ Kenny Evans
____________________________________ ____________________________________
5 ATTACHMENT 2
Joint Agreement between the City of Torrance and /Torrance Municipal Employees - American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Regarding Supplemental Parking Enforcement Pilot Program Torrance Municipal Employees (TME-AFSCME) and representatives of Management (“City”) have met and conferred on the implementation of supplemental parking enforcement to support consistent street sweeping enforcement. TME-AFSCME and the City hereby agree as follows effective December 17, 2024:
1. TME-AFSCME and the City acknowledge and agree to outsource supplemental parking enforcement to address major inconsistencies in street sweeping enforcement.
2. Supplemental parking enforcement contractors will focus primarily on street sweeping parking violations but may issue citations they may observe while on street sweeping route.
3. The City may contract up to five (5) dedicated parking enforcement staff to enforce the regulations and ordinances in the City of Torrance for a two-year pilot program beginning on the first day of paid contractor service with the understanding of the following:
Year 1 will focus on the evaluation of the community and department needs. Year 2 will focus on the creation, transition, and implementation of a permanent parking enforcement program.
4. Contracted employees will be required to work:
Monday through Thursday
8:00 am to 5:00 pm (8 hours per day)
32 hours per week
5. Supplemental parking enforcement will:
Provide their own enforcement vehicle with company markings. Wear uniforms that identify themselves as an employee of the contracted company.
6. The company awarded with the supplemental parking enforcement contract will be responsible for:
Hiring and training of the parking enforcement staff. Coordinating with City staff on developing coverage schedules.
7. The City will meet with TME-AFSCME within the first 9 months of the pilot program to discuss parking enforcement needs and address concerns by parties.
8. The City will meet with TME-AFSCME prior to 18 months of the pilot program to determine if an extension is needed, discuss the parking enforcement program and address concerns by parties.
9. The City may extend the contract with approval by TME-AFSCME for up to 1 additional year.
Signed this 17TH day of December 2024.
Management Torrance Municipal Employees- American
Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees (TME-AFSCME)
Aram Chaparyan
City Manager
David Inez
President
6 ATTACHMENT 2
Jamie Le
Assistant to the City Manager
Kenny Evans
Vice President
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