Agenda

Return

D. 1

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	David Twa, County Administrator
Date:	December 6, 2011

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Implement Last, Best and Final Offer for Terms and Conditions of Employment- Coalition Unions

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 12/06/2011

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

Contact:	Ted Cwiek, Human Resources Director (925) 335-1766
cc:	Ted Cwiek, Human Resources Director

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: December 6, 2011
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

ADOPT Resolution No. 2011/481 to implement the County’s Last, Best, and Final Offer covering wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment for those employees in the Coalition Unions (Coalition) made up of Professional & Technical Employees, AFSCME, Local 512; United Clerical, Technical & Specialized Employees, AFSCME, Local 2700; Public Employees Union, Local One; Public Employees Union, Local One, CSB-Site Supervisor Unit; SEIU, Local 1021, Rank & File Unit; SEIU, Local 1021, Service Line Supervisor Unit; and Western Council of Engineers, as follows:


1. Effective December 1, 2011, reduce by 3.2% the base rates of pay of all classifications represented by the Coalition Unions.

RECOMMENDATION(S): (CONT'D)

2. Effective December 1, 2011, require employees to pay one hundred percent (100%) of the employee share of the basic retirement benefit contribution determined annually by the Retirement Board.

3. Effective January 1, 2012, modify definitions of “eligible dependents” for purposes of health and dental plan coverage to conform to the new federal health care law.

4. Employees promoted or hired by the County into any classification represented by Professional & Technical Employees, AFSCME, Local 512; Public Employees Union, Local One, CSB-Site Supervisor Unit; and SEIU, Local 1021, Service Line Supervisors Unit, on and after January 1, 2012, are not eligible for the Vacation Buy-Back benefit. However, any employee who was eligible for a Vacation Buy-Back benefit before promoting into a classification represented by Professional & Technical Employees, AFSCME, Local 512; Public Employees Union, Local One, CSB-Site Supervisor Unit; and SEIU, Local 1021, Service Line Supervisors Unit, will retain that benefit after promoting into a classification represented by those unions.

5. Adopt all of the Tentative Agreements that were agreed to and signed by County and Coalition representatives during the course of bargaining.

6. All other terms of the expired MOUs remain unchanged.

FISCAL IMPACT:

The terms and conditions set forth above are estimated to save the County $11.6 million in FY 2011/2012 and $19.8 million annually thereafter. The savings will help to alleviate the fiscal impact caused by the reductions in property values and the related decline in property tax revenues and the on-going structural deficit in the County’s budget.

BACKGROUND:

Since April 28, 2011, representatives of Contra Costa County (County) and the Coalition Unions (Coalition) made up of Professional & Technical Employees, AFSCME, Local 512; United Clerical, Technical & Specialized Employees, AFSCME, Local 2700; Public Employees Union, Local One; Public Employees Union, Local One, CSB-Site Supervisor Unit; SEIU, Local 1021, Rank & File Unit; SEIU, Local 1021, Service Line Supervisor Unit; and Western Council of Engineers, have actively engaged in the collective bargaining process to negotiate successor Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) to the Coalition MOUs that expired on June 30, 2011. As of November 17, 2011, the parties have engaged in at least 29 bargaining sessions. At this time, the parties are far apart on significant proposals.

On November 17, 2011, the County presented Coalition representatives with a letter (copy attached) setting forth the County’s explanations for its belief that the parties were at impasse. That letter included two (2) options of the County's Last, Best, and Final Offer (LBFO) Offer A and Offer B. The letter provided a deadline to respond by the close of business on December 2, 2011.

The County has, and will continue to meet and confer in good faith with Coalition representatives over the wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment covering the employees represented by the Coalition. The County's representatives sincerely hope the parties will be able to reach a tentative agreement at the next bargaining session on November 28, 2011. However, at this time, the parties remain at impasse.

If there is no significant movement to permanently close the fiscal gap between the parties’ positions on or before Friday, December 2, 2011, to deal with the structural changes the County continues to face, then the County's representatives believe the parties will remain at impasse.

The parties have completed the impasse procedures set forth in Chapter 34-16 of Resolution No. 81/1165, as amended, the County Employer-Employee Relations Resolution. The parties are at impasse and the County representatives are now prepared to recommend to the Board of Supervisors implementation of the terms set forth in Offer B of the County’s Last, Best, and Final Offer dated November 17, 2011, for all Coalition Unions.

DISCUSSION:

As we approach what is likely to be one of the most fiscally challenging years for Contra Costa County, we continue to take a hard look at our cost of doing business. The County’s largest costs are wages and benefits for its employees. Due to the significant structural imbalance in the County budget and the structural changes that are needed, County representatives pursued concessions from the Coalition for reductions in labor costs. The County’s Last, Best, and Final Offer B represents permanent structural changes in the relationship between the County and the members of the Coalition that will help the fiscal viability of the County.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

The County will not realize $11.6 million in savings.

CLERK'S ADDENDUM

CONTINUED to December 13, 2011.