City Council Staff Report Page 1 of 3 October 13, 2026
CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
Agenda Item No. 3.6
DATE: October 13, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: Joan Malloy, City Manager
SUBJECT: Adopt a Resolution Approving and Authorizing a Side Letter Agreement for a Pilot Program Schedule for the COPPS Unit with the Police Officers Association (POA)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Union City (“City”) and the Union City Police Officers’ Association (“UCPOA”) have negotiated a Side Letter Agreement to establish a pilot program under which sworn staff assigned to the Police Department’s COPPS Unit will work a 3/12 work schedule.
The Side Letter provides that implementation is subject to the existing terms and conditions that apply to sworn staff working 3/12 schedules, including the calculation of FLSA overtime, as memorialized in the parties’ current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), effective January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2027.
The pilot program will remain in place for two years from the date of implementation, unless the City and UCPOA mutually agree to extend it. The Side Letter also provides that if the Chief of Police determines that operational needs require a temporary schedule change, affected COPPS personnel may be moved from the 3/12 schedule to a 4/10/40 schedule.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
This supports Goal B, Governance and Organizational Effectiveness, of the strategic plan by aligning critical City services with current staffing levels.
BACKGROUND
The Union City Police Department maintains a special assignment known as the Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving (“COPPS”) Unit. Employees assigned to the COPPS Unit are represented by the UCPOA.
The City and UCPOA are parties to a Memorandum of Understanding governing wages, Agenda Item No. 3.6
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hours, and other terms and conditions of employment for represented sworn employees.
The parties have agreed to establish a pilot program for the COPPS Unit to implement a 3/12 work schedule.
DISCUSSION
The purpose of this Side Letter is to use the pilot program to evaluate the reduction in overtime. The COPPS Unit is often required to meet with businesses and residents in the evening, which, on a 4/10 schedule, required overtime on a regular basis. The 3/12 work schedule should be adjusted to accommodate neighborhood watch meetings or community events on scheduled workdays, thereby reducing the need for overtime.
The proposed Side Letter establishes the following principal terms:
• All sworn staff assigned to the COPPS Unit will work a 3/12 work schedule for the duration of the pilot program.
• Implementation of the schedule is subject to the existing terms and conditions applicable to sworn staff working 3/12 schedules, including the calculation of FLSA overtime, as memorialized in the current MOU effective January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2027.
• If the Chief of Police determines, based on operational needs, that the schedule must be temporarily changed, personnel assigned to the 3/12 schedule may have their schedule altered to no less than a 4/10/40 work schedule. • The pilot program will remain in place for two years from the date of implementation and may be extended beyond the two-year term by mutual agreement of the City and UCPOA.
• All other terms and conditions of the current MOU will continue without modification.
The proposed pilot is intended to provide a defined scheduling framework for the COPPS Unit personnel while preserving the existing contractual provisions governing 3/12 schedules and FLSA overtime. The Side Letter does not amend other provisions of the parties’ MOU.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Side Letter does not establish a new salary rate or benefit. It provides that the COPPS Unit schedule will be implemented subject to the existing terms and conditions applicable to 3/12 schedules, including existing FLSA overtime provisions. Actual overtime expenditures may vary based on scheduling and operational needs. Any resulting personnel costs will be managed within the City’s adopted appropriations.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the attached resolution approving the Side Letter Agreement between the City of Union City and the Union City Police Officers’ Association (UCPOA) establishing a two-year 3/12 Work Schedule Pilot Program for Agenda Item No. 3.6
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sworn staff assigned to the Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving (COPPS) Unit, and authorizing the City Manager to execute the Side Letter Agreement on behalf of the City.
Prepared by: Jason Castleberry, Human Resources Director Submitted by: Jason Castleberry, Human Resources Director
ATTACHMENTS
1. Draft Resolution
2. Exhibit A - Side Letter Agreement for COPPS Unit