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Date: July 8, 2025
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 Management and Represented City of Torrance Employee Groups. Expenditure: None.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation of the City Manager that City Council:
1. Approve a Side Letter Agreement between Torrance Fire Fighters Association (TFFA) and Management modifying Strike Team Policy; and
2. Approve a Side Letter Agreement between the Torrance Library Employees Association (TLEA) and Management correcting an error on salary grids; and
3. Approve a Side Letter Agreement between Torrance Police Officers Associations (TPOA) and Management regarding promotional exams; and
4. Approve a Side Letter Agreement between Torrance Police Commanders Associations (TPCA) and Management regarding promotional exams
FUNDING
None required.
DISCUSSION
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 inte rprets an existing provision in an MOU; or (2) addresses issues of interest to the parties that are not otherwise covered by the MOU. Such agreements need to be approved by City Council in open session.
This is particularly important if the side letter agr eement pertains to potential PERSable income (i.e. salary adjustment) and Premiums.
As such, Staff requests the formal approval by City Council of the following side letter agreements:
1. Side Letter Agreement between Torrance Fire Fighters Association (TFFA) and Management modifying Strike Team Policy
2. Side Letter Agreement between the Torrance Library Employees Association (TLEA) and Management correcting an error on salary grids
3. Side Letter Agreement between Torrance Police Officers Associations (TPOA) and Management regarding promotional exams
1 City Council
July 8, 2025
4. Side Letter Agreement between Torrance Police Commanders Associations (TPCA) and Management regarding promotional exams
ATTACHMENTS
1. Side Letter Agreement between Torrance Fire Fighters Association (TFFA) and Management modifying Strike Team Policy
2. Side Letter Agreement between the Torrance Library Employees Association (TLEA) and Management correcting an error on salary grids
3. Side Letter Agreement between Torrance Police Officers Associations (TPOA) and Management regarding promotional exams (Materials Available)
4. Side Letter Agreement between Torrance Police Commanders Associations (TPCA) and Management regarding promotional exams (Materials Available) 2 July 8, 2025
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 STRIKE TEAM LODGING
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
Joint Agreement between the City of Torrance and Torrance Fire Fighters Association (TFFA) Regarding Strike Team Lodging
The Joint Agreement between the City of Torrance and Torrance Fire Fighters Association (TFFA) regarding Strike Team Lodging reads as follows:
Effective July 1, 2025 the parties agree to the following:
The Parties recognize that fire strike team deployments often involve dynamic and unpredictable working conditions. While efforts are made to ensure reasonable adequate accommodations are provided in the field (e.g., base camps, sleeping trailers, or equivalent field conditions), there may be circumstances where such accommodations are inadequate or unavailable.
A. When deployed on a Strike Team or Overhead assignment and the incident does not provide “reasonable adequate accommodations” during rest periods, the City will pay/reimburse for reasonable hotel accommodations.
a. " Reasonable Adequate accommodations" for the purpose of this agreement are defined as facilities that offer adequate sufficient shelter, rest, hygiene (e.g., access to restrooms/showers), and safety to support employee rest and recovery in accordance with wildland firefighting standards.
b. Each room will house two (2) personnel unless rooms with two beds are unavailable at the hotel.
c. The room cost including taxes shall not exceed the current General Services Administration (“GSA”) lodging rate. https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates B. Authorization
a. Accommodations must be permitted by the Strike Team Leader if part of a Strike Team and approved by the Fire Chief based on operational needs and when practical.
C. Consideration of Operational Needs and Location
i. When evaluating the need for hotel accommodations, the Agency shall consider:
ii. The distance between the incident location and potential lodging facilities. iii. The availability of safe, reasonable accommodations within operational proximity. iv. The necessity to ensure that personnel remain rested and fit for duty without compromising response capability or logistical effectiveness Signed this 8th day of July 2025.
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 July 8, 2025
TO: Rebecca Poirier, City Clerk
FROM: Jamie Le, Assistant to the City Manager
RE: MANAGEMENT and TORRANCE LIBRARY EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION (TLEA)
JOINT LETTER OF AGREEMENT REGARDING SALARY GRID CORRECTIONS Management and Torrance Library Employees Association met and have reached agreement as noted on the attached document. Section 14.8.14 b if 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 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 Library Employees
Association (TLEA)
___________________________ __________________________
___________________________ __________________________
5 ATTACHMENT 2
Joint Agreement between the City of Torrance and Torrance Library Employees Association Regarding Salary Grid Corrections
The Joint Agreement between the City of Torrance and Torrance Library Employees Association Regarding Salary Grid Corrections reads as follows:
Section 3.1 entitled “Pay Ranges and Class Titles” of Article 3 entitled “Compensation” is edited in its entirety as follows.
“ARTICLE 3 – COMPENSATION
SECTION 3.1 PAY RANGES AND CLASS TITLES
1. BASE HOURLY PAY RANGE
A.The following salary ranges are assigned to classes covered by this MOU effective April 20, 2025
Pay Ranges Basis Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Junior Library Clerk I Hourly $20.15
Librarian Hourly $35.50 $37.28 $39.15 $40.13 $41.14 $42.17 $43.23 $44.32 Library Page Hourly $19.12
Library Technician Hourly $24.07 $25.28 $26.55 $27.88 $28.58 $29.30 $30.04 $30.80 Senior Library Page Hourly $20.15
Senior Library
Technician Hourly $29.96 $31.46 $33.04 $33.87 $34.72 $35.59 $36.48 $37.40 * Senior Library Tech: Crosswalk down 1 step.
Librarian: Crosswalk down 1 step.
B.The following salary ranges are assigned to classes covered by this MOU effective July 13, 2025
Basis Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Junior Library Clerk I Hourly $20.08
Librarian* Hourly $35.31 $37.08 $38.94 $39.92 $40.92 $41.95 $43.00 $44.08 Library Page Hourly $19.12
Library Technician Hourly $23.89 $25.09 $26.35 $27.67 $28.37 $29.08 $29.81 $30.56 Senior Library Page Hourly $20.08
Senior Library
Technician* Hourly $29.78 $31.27 $32.84 $33.67 $34.52 $35.39 $36.28 $37.19 6 Joint Agreement between the City of Torrance and Torrance Library Employees Association Regarding Salary Grid Corrections
”
C.The following salary ranges are assigned to classes covered by this MOU effective July 12, 2026
Pay Ranges Basis Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Junior Library Clerk I Hourly $20.89
Librarian Hourly $36.73 $38.57 $40.50 $41.52 $42.56 $43.63 $44.73 $45.85 Library Page Hourly $19.89
Library Technician Hourly $24.85 $26.10 $27.41 $28.79 $29.51 $30.25 $31.01 $31.79 Senior Library Page Hourly $20.89
Senior Library
Technician Hourly $30.98 $32.53 $34.16 $35.02 $35.90 $36.80 $37.72 $38.67 A.The following salary ranges are assigned to classes covered by this MOU effective July 11, 2027
Pay Ranges Basis Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Junior Library Clerk I Hourly $21.73
Librarian Hourly $38.20 $40.11 $42.12 $43.18 $44.26 $45.37 $46.51 $47.68 Library Page Hourly $20.69
Library Technician Hourly $25.85 $27.15 $28.51 $29.94 $30.69 $31.46 $32.25 $33.06 Senior Library Page Hourly $21.73
Senior Library
Technician Hourly $32.22 $33.84 $35.54 $36.43 $37.35 $38.29 $39.25 $40.24 These changes to the TLEA MOU are effective July 8, 2025.
Signed this 8th day of July.
Management TLEA
___________________________ __________________________ Aram Chaparyan David Inez
City Manager President
_______________________ ____________________________
Jamie Le Kenny Evans
Assistant to the City Manager Vice President
7 ATTACHMENTS 3 & 4
MATERIAL AVAILABLE
(WILL BE POSTED PRIOR TO CITY COUNCIL MEETING)
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