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RESOLUTION NO. 5140
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF ARCADIA OPPOSING COMPULSORY AND BINDING
ARBITRATION AS EMBODIED IN SENATE BILL 778
WHEREAS, employee salaries and benefits, particularly
those of police and fire personnel, represent the largest portion
of local government operating budgets; and
WHEREAS, local government's ability to generate revenue
to meet these costs has diminished significantly in recent years,
thereby putting increasing pressure on elected officials to manage
limited resources in the greatest public interest; and
WHEREAS, Senate Bill 778 has been introduced in the
Legislature, which if enacted would mandate a system of compulsory
and binding arbitration of economic disputes between public safety
labor organizations and local government employers; and
WHEREAS, compulsory and binding arbitration removes the
responsibility for setting salary and benefit levels for public
safety employees from local elected officials and places such
responsibility in the hands of an arbitrator without public ac-
countability; and
flliEREAS, the removal of such responsibility undermines a
primary duty and obligation of local elected officials, to wit the
allocation of limited resources among competing public needs; and
\~EREAS, compulsory and binding arbitration for public
safety employees effectively removes police and fire compensation
from the arena of competing public needs, and elevates it to a
position of first priority; and
WHEREAS, Senate Bill 778, by requiring an arbitrator to
select either an employer's or a union's last, best, and final
offer in its entirety effectively removes any incentive for either
party to reach a mutually satisfactory negotiated contract, in
contradiction to the express intent and purpose of the Meyers-
Milias-Brown Act; and
WHEREAS, the prohibition of strikes by public safety
employees contained in Senate Bill 778, adds little to the remedies
available to local agency employers under California case law; and
WHEREAS, Senate Bill 778 provides for its own self-
destruction if found by a court of law that its costs are mandated
by the State of California; and
WHEREAS, such provisions for self-destruction result in a
recognition that the increased settlement costs of awards by arbi-
trators pursuant to Senate Bill 778 are in fact State-mandated
costs which, however, must be first confirmed by a court of law
through time-consuming and expensive litigation.
NOW, THEREFORE THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ARCADIA
HEREBY RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION l. That the City of Arcadia does hereby express
to the members of the State Legislature and the Governor of the
State of California its opposition to compulsory and binding arbi-
tration in general, and to Senate Bill 778 in particular, and urges
the Legislature and the Governor to maintain responsibility and
accountability for local services and local budgets with locally
elected officials.
SECTION 2. That the Clerk of the Council shall certify
to the adoption of this resolution.
I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing resolution was
adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of
Arcadia held on the l5th day of November, 1983, by the affirm-
ative vote of at least three Councilmen, to wit:
AYES: Councilmen Lojeski, Dring, Hannah, Pellegrino
NOES: None
ABSENT: Councilman Haltom ~}
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City Clerk of the City of Arcadia
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5140
SIGNED AND APPROVED this l5th da~~ 19 3~
Mayor of the C y
ATT"T' ('
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City Clerk
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5140