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Minutes 01-19-06 MINUTES OF THE BLUE COLLAR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING SESSION BETWEEN THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF FIREMEN & OILERS AND THE CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, HELD ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 19,2006 AT 3:33 P.M., IN CONFERENCE ROOM B, CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA Present: For the City of Boynton Beach Wilfred Hawkins, Assistant City Manager Sharyn Goebelt, Director of Human Resources John Jordan, Assistant Director of Human Resources Bobby Jenkins, Assistant Director of Finance For NCF&O Sharon Munley, Trustee, Local 1227 NCF&O Rick Smith, NCF&O Michael Taylor, NCF&O Mike Osborn, NCF&O Don Roberts, NCF&O Call to Order The bargaining session was called to order at 3:33 p.m. A sign in sheet was circulated and provided to the Clerk for inclusion with the records of the meeting. Self- introductions were made. Ms. Goebelt announced the pay study was approved by the City Commission at the last meeting. She distributed a proposal from the City and reviewed the differences between their offer and what MGT recommended. Ms. Goebelt reviewed the plan and explained there is a 5% flat upgrade for reclassified employees and the minimum and maximums of all pay grades will change because the whole pay plan will shift up 8.47%. The variance in step three is MGT recommended a 4% market increase. The City is offering 6%, which is a 2% retroactive raise from 10/01/05 and an additional 4% effective February 2006. She noted this is more than MGT's recommendation. It was also exclusive of merit. As an example, if an employee is at minimum and does not get the 5% reclassification, because the whole plan is moved up 8.47%, the City will take the pay in effect in October, go back to 10/1/2005 and give employees 2%. In February 2006, all employees receive an additional 4%. If they are still below the minimum, they will be brought up to the new minimum. This should bring all employees to the minimum of the new range plus they are still eligible for merit. The goal is to implement the plan on February 8, 2006. Ms. Goebelt explained the City Commission previously approved the pay study and will need to approve the pay plan. Meeting Minutes NCF&O Blue Collar Bargaining Session Boynton Beach, Florida January 19, 2006 Ms. Goebelt explained the procedure for reclassifications as follows: the City will use the employees base pay and go back to 10/1 and give 2% of the pay in effect in October, then on February 8, 2006 receive 5% and on top of that, the 4% market increase and on April 1, be eligible for merit which will range from zero to 4%. The merit score will determine what the merit increase will be. There was discussion an employee needs to score at least a two to be eligible for merit and a score of two equates to 2% increase, a score of three equates to 3%, etc. up to 4%. Mr. Osborn indicated people are not getting graded fairly and it has not been defined what an employee needs to do to score a three or four on merit evaluations. There was conversation this is an issue labor management needs to look at. In fiscal year 06/07 another market increase of 5% will take effect 10/1/06, plus employees are again eligible for a merit increase of zero to 4% unless an employee is above their max. City staff indicated the offer is based on no additional re-openers. NCF&O indicated if they are successful for doing wages for this year and next year, there would be no-re-openers. The parties discussed the contract would address wages and two articles. Mr. Hawkins clarified they City is committing to the wages and they will do what they said they would do in the contract and review labor management, but wages is what the City is interested in discussing at this time. NCF&O noted the issues are financial issues that can't be changed outside of a contract. Mr. Hawkins responded the wage calculations are significant and the issues the Union will bring forward are operational matters. The City's offer affects everyone in the bargaining unit. There was a discussion on addressing articles and reopening articles or modification of them, and that the procedure to change articles is legally in place. The committee recessed at approximately 3:50 p.m. for caucus and returned at 4:20 p.m. NCF&O indicated they could not find any language about labor management in the contract. Mr. Hawkins replied it was in the previous agreement. Mr. Roberts directed the members to Article 18.4, page 42 of the document and noted it only dealt with the evaluations. Mr. Hawkins pointed out there was an article that indicated it should be set up by a certain time. NCF&O countered they would be willing to accept the increase and bring their two articles to a labor management meeting if they could impasse at the end of labor management and have 60 days to resolve the issues. If there were no resolution of the articles then they would go directly to impasse and to a special master, and then directly to the Commission. 2 Meeting Minutes NCF&O Blue Collar Bargaining Session Boynton Beach, Florida January 19, 2006 Mr. Hawkins said that to agree to bypass that procedure, it would have to be done in writing. NCF&O emphasized it was very important to address the two articles, and if they could not do that, they have to do what it says in the contract. Ms. Goebelt requested NCF&O provide verbiage for their proposal about the labor management meetings, not the articles. Ms. Munley agreed to provide it to staff. Ms. Goebelt also asked whether the labor management provision was in the contract. NCF&O elaborated they would need to meet for 60 days of labor management meetings to correct the issues. If impassed after 60 days, they would go directly to Commission. Mr. Hawkins responded the City will look at it. The committee discussed turn around time and it was decided the next meeting would be on Friday, January 27, 2006 at 3:30 pm. In the interim, if there is any proposed language, it was requested it be provided to Mr. Hawkins or Ms. Goebelt. The union would agree to accept the wage proposal offered today, based on the following: that two articles that should have been opened through the collective-bargaining process be brought into the labor management setting, to meet weekly to try to encompass execution on these articles that they are unhappy with, and if impassed, they would proceed directly to Commission. Mr. Roberts asked if the time spent on the labor management meetings would be taken out of the union time pool. The existing language showed those meetings were not included in the union time pool. A committee has not been established yet who will be involved in the labor management meetings. Mr. OSborn indicated there were blue collar and white collar stewards listed in the blue collar time out/sick log. Human Resources will examine that. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 4:23 p.m. Respectfully submitted, (012506) 3