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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-15-2021 PEA MinutesCITY OF SEBASTIAN PEA UNION WAGE ARTICLE NEGOTIATION MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING J U LY 15, 2021 Present: Al Boettjer, Staff Representative, Coastal Florida PBA/PEA Union Representative, 810 Fentress Court, Daytona Beach, FL 32117 Paul Carlisle, City Manager, City of Sebastian Ken Killgore, Administrative Services Director, City of Sebastian Cynthia Watson, Human Services Director, City of Sebastian Naiomi Charles, PEA Representative John Noyes, PEA Representative Janet Graham, Technical Writer/Recorder Mr. Boettjer brought the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. stating that this is the first negotiation session of 2021 between the City of Sebastian and the Coastal Florida Public Employee Association. Mr. Boettjer stated that he had forwarded any written proposals from the PEA to Mr. Killgore. Mr. Boettjer had several meetings with the members, and the members did not want to look at a percentage. They wanted an actual dollar value and the per -hour rate, and that was $5.00 per hour. Mr. Carlisle stated that would be $3.2 million, and he is unable to agree to that figure. Mr. Noyes asked about $3.00 an hour for some employees. That would get them up to about $15.00 an hour, to a competitive rate. Mr. Carlisle stated that what is in the budget is a pay raise of 3% for the employees. That is about $6,000.00 for an employee depending on what they make. The increase cannot be set at $3.00 an hour. The $3.00 an hour would amount to different percentages for everyone. He pointed out that one of the things the City did this year, which he had said he would do, is that the City took the employees who were making approximately $12.40 an hour and included the 3%, which brought them up to $13.48. Also, the class and compensation study is being done because he has to work into this $15.00 an hour by 2025. So the City has to work that in. The class and compensation study is being done for all employees in order to compare benefits, to compare hourly wages, jobs, and everything that their job description requires to reclassify employees who might not be in the right classification as well as comparing them with other agencies. If the employees want $15.00 an hour, what are they going to give up? Because, in reality, when the City goes to $15.00, that will cost the City about $22.00 an hour. That has to be worked in. The City has a fixed income. There are so many tax dollars available. The City raised taxes last year in order to get the 3%. He suggests that City Council is not in a position PAGE 2 to want to raise taxes, especially with the election coming up. The City's offer of 3% is putting the City at $108,000.00 over budget. By offering 3%, he still has to come up with a way to find another $108,000.00 to balance the budget. The City does not have an unlimited budget. There are so many dollars that come in each year. Some projects were pushed off a year in order to be able to provide the 3%, and that is where the City is at this point. Mr. Boettjer said that some employees were concerned about that study, hoping that the City finally obtained an outside firm. Mr. Carlisle said the RFP is out. What is important about this study is that they are going to look at Maintenance Worker 1 in Brevard, and Maintenance Worker 1 in Indian River County, etc. They are going to look at the duties of each and every employee. Every employee will do a survey of what they do in their jobs every day. That is going to help the City reclassify the employees. Everyone will have an opportunity to have input on what their actual job duties are —what they actually do every day. Some employees may be in the wrong classification. They may need to be higher or lower. The study will show if the City has the people in the correct positions with comparable —not only salaries, but benefits --and if we are competitive. Mr. Boettjer asked if, once the RFP is done, the City will select the vendor then? Mr. Carlisle said yes. He added that the RFP is advertised, and there is a mandatory pre -bid tomorrow. The City will then explain to them the different entities that want to try to do the proposal —what the City is expecting such as surveys, a complete job description, and how to implement the $15.00 an hour for the minimum wage that is coming up over that period of time and then how the City adjusts wages for employees that may be overpaid —or underpaid in most cases. Mr. Carlisle pointed out that there has to be a comprehensive study. He has to be able to sell it to the public. The residents have to be able to support it because that is who is paying for it. Mr. Boettjer stated he had spoken to Mr. Noyes. According to last night's Council meeting, he is aware that the Council feels that way —that you need professionals to do those studies in order to determine where you are going to spend your money and how much money you are going to spend. He opined that people are concerned that the City had not already done this before it got to this point of negotiations. Mr. Carlisle stated that he had Ms. Watson first do the one he had talked about doing in- house to try to figure out where the lowest level of employees was presently. Staff took the $13.48, which includes the 3%, the next level was $14-something, and the Maintenance Worker 3s went to approximately $16.00, and then some of the dispatch people were moved up. There were also some other individuals who got moved up. PAGE 3 There were about 30 people in the proposed budget who got moved up as a separation between those wages, which includes the 3%. Mr. Boettjer is looking at the $12.00+ and $13.00+ an hour, and then the $14.00 was the next before it moved to different levels. Mr. Carlisle said that was to provide some separation between those duties and to provide some employees who may have been here four years and up who got an extra 1 % calculated in there to try and separate the employees who have been here a little longer in order to try to be somewhat fair. Until the study is done, it would just be guessing. Mr. Carlisle recalled that he said in March last year he would try to get something put together to try to get the lower wages brought up, and that was done. It is in the study to implement that. Mr. Boettjer asked that for some employees, where you realized that anomaly with years of service vs. what the beginning salaries are, etc., that is already corrected by an extra 1 %? Mr. Carlisle said that was only on the lower -tier employees. Mr. Boettjer asked if Mr. Carlisle has any idea what that total cost would be to the City. Ms. Watson said she has it in her office. She said it was between 20 and 30 employees that had their rates adjusted. (At this time, Ms. Watson left the meeting to go to her office.) Mr. Carlisle stated that, if the budget gets approved, those adjustments will take place on October 1. He stated that those numbers also include the 3%. If there is no agreement on that, then he will have to reconsider even those offers. Mr. Boettjer asked how that will affect the part-timers as far as the raises. He described a list that he has to include crossing guards, cart attendants, technical analysts, cashiers, tennis court assistants, etc. Mr. Carlisle said if their salary was adjusted, it included the 3%. They will not be getting the salary adjustment and then 3%. That 3% was calculated into those salary adjustments. Mr. Boettjer stated that the union is proposing to make a counterproposal of 6%. Mr. Carlisle stated he has 3% in the budget as well as the salary adjustments. That puts the budget in the red in the amount of $108,000.00. (At this point, 10:14 a.m., Mr. Boettjer and the union representatives left the meeting room to caucus and returned at 10:24 a.m.) Ms. Watson having returned to the meeting, Mr. Carlisle stated the difference between this year's budget and last year's budget is $680,000.00 with the pay adjustments and the 3%. PAGE 4 At this point, Mr. Boettjer stated he is going to have to bring this number back to the entire membership. He stated he will get back with Mr. Carlisle about rescheduling at some point. This negotiation session was concluded at 10.25 a.m. Ice