HomeMy WebLinkAboutJUNE 18,1991
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, CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS ARE TAPE RECORDED AND ON FILE IN THE OFFICE OF THE CITY
CLERK
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MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ARCADIA
SPECIAL MEETING
JUNE 18,1991
On June 13, 1991, as authorized by the Arcadia City Charter
Section 408, a Special Meeting of the City Council of the City
of Arcadia was called by Mayor Gilb for Tuesday, June 18,
1991, at 6:15 p.m., in the Conference Room of the Council
Chambers. As certified by affidavit filed with the City
Clerk, Mayor Pro tem Harbicht and Councilmembers Ciraulo.
Fasching and Young were duly notified by mail of said Special
Meeting.
The purpose of the meeting was to conduct a Closed Session at
6:15 p.m. for the legislative body to review its position,
and instruct its designated representatives regarding
salaries, fringe benefits and other subjects within the scope
of representation, concerning represented and un-represented
employees, pursuant to Government Code Section 54957.6.
Further, to conduct an Open Session at 6: 30 p. m. for the
purpose of hearing oral communications from spokespersons for
the Arcadia Police ad Firefighters Associations. No other
business was considered at the Special Meeting.
At 6:30 p.m. the City Council recessed the Closed Session and
with Mayor Pro tem Harbicht, Counci1members Ciraulo, Fasching
and Young in attendance, Mayor Gi1b announced that the Special
Meeting Open Session would begin. This to allow a spokesman
for the Fire and Police Associations to present their proposal
to the City Council.
POLICE AND FIRE ASSOCIATIONS PRESENTATION
A2ent Bruce Smith, Board of Directors, Arcadia Police Relief
Association, introduced himself and Sergeants Randy Kirby and
Gene Gioia. "Mr. Mayor, City Council, Mr. Watts, we certainly
appreciate this time that you've afforded us to speak before
you. As you know, we are in contract negotiations. There are
some items that are left on the-table that are of paramount
concern to my bargaining unit, and we wanted to have just a
few minutes to express to you our feelings and concerns over
these items and how they affect us.
"The number one thing on the table is salary. Naturally, we
want to get compensated for what we do. Now, our figures
started out on a salary survey that the City of Arcadia uses,
and we are 5.3% below average of the 26 cities surveyed,
Arcadia being in the bottom third. This City has an above-
average police department. We have the fastest response time
in the San Gabriel Valley, and that doesn't make any
difference if your neighbor's dog is barking or there's a
burglar coming in your window ... in two to five minutes,
you're going to get a uniformed officer at your door. The
officers of this department take great pride in that fact, and
don't dally when they go to calls. We feel we provide an
above-average level of service to this community. We would
like the salary to' go hand in hand with that, at least
average, not a little above average compensation for what we
do. Our current proposal that we have on the table will bring
us to the halfway point and will maintain us to the halfway
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point for the duration of the contract. We feel that's fair.-
That's where those figures come from.
"The second main topic we have is health insurance; it's a
concern to all of us. In our last contract that we signed,
the City asked us to take on the risk of the increases in
health insurance by giving us a dollar figure increase per
year when the amount the premium percentage was going up was
an unknown. Over our last contract, over the past three-year
contract, the total monthly raises at the end of the contract
was $235.34. The increases in insurance were 27.4%. This
accounted for a less than a 3% raise as this contract is
coming to an end, over a three-year period. The brunt of
these increases occurred in this last year ... it's well over
$200 a month now for an officer with a family. We feel one
way to help deal with this is the City's new EPO program I
they've come up with. This is acceptable to my bargaining
unit. We've come very close to paying for 100% of this
insurance by giving up the money-back benefit that we
currently have. We don't feel that the insurance should be
a money-making proposition for any of our members, but should
provide insurance for them and their family members. We're
asking the City to help with the risk as the premiums go up
over the next three years, instead of a flat dollar figure,
where once again we're in the same boat as the last contr~ct,
to come in with a percentage to help offset the costs. We've
been told now that we're predicting, on the EPO part, a 7 1/2%
increase per year, but that's still an unknown ... nobody has
any control over that. The EPO program, as I said, is
acceptable to my unit; however, it's not as good as what we
have right now. Everyone is happy with the insurance we have,
we'd like to keep it. But it looks like it's going out of
sight in cost.
"There are just a couple of other things left on our current
proposal. You not being out in a police car, we'd like to
give you some insight as to what these things mean to us,
where someone on the outside might not understand what we're
asking for. Retiree medical, insurance was dropped. 1 don't
pay into Social Security; I've been here long enough that I
don't do that. At 65, I don't have insurance; I don't qualify
for the City's insurance anymore and I don't qualify for
_Social Security. So, after 20 to 30 years of service to the
City, at age 65, or at 52 when I retire, I've got to go back
to work so I can have Medicare at 65. That's been dropped.
Pro-rated retiree medical benefit has been dropped. Holidays
have been dropped. We get six in the City. The average on
your own City survey is 11 1/2. Special Assignment pay has
been dropped. Longevity pay,.,... small-cost morale item,
dropped. Compensation at time" and a half the City
currently compensates overtime at the absolute minimum that
FLSA requires. No other city on the survey uses that
computation for overtime. That's been dropped. Request for
a new work schedule is still on the table. If I come to work I
every day; I don't take any sick leave and I don't take any
vacation; and I don't w~rk any overtime; I owe the City time
at the end of the year. If I take vacation and sick time,
that time increases. We'd like to have that taken care of ...
if I come to work, I take the' vacation I'm allowed; I
unfortunately have a sick day or two; and I don't owe the City
any time at the end of the year, and we're very close to
settling on this -- the City's been very cooperative so far
wi th this.
"Court time, we have no compensation for an on-call subpoena.
Most of the subpoenas these days, due to a new law that went
into effect January 1st, are on-call subpoenas. Now, 1 'don't
have to show up in court, but I can't leave home either. And
it kind of screws up your day off. I've got to stay by the
phone; if the D.A. calls, I've got to run into court. We have
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no compensation for that type of subpoena. On-call appearance
subpoenas right now are paid back at two hours minimum time.
The average is three on the survey, and that's what we're
asking for ... just asking to be in the middle with everyone
else. This is a subpoena where I actually have to show in
court, which, as Mr. Miller can attest to, is rather a lengthy
process and lot of hurry-up and waiting, and pretty much
screws up your entire day.
"Uniform allowance, we have a tentative agreement on. Long-
term disability, we have a tentative agreement on. The City
is going to Meet and Confer with us on a physical fitness
program. The PERS retirement pickup has been dropped.
Deferred comp has been dropped. Tuition reimbursement we're
hanging onto. We'd like to be reimbursed if we go to school.
It doesn't affect that many members of the unit, not everybody
is going to school, and we have already been told that this
City is going to start requiring education for sergeant and
lieutenant positions. We feel if that's a requirement for
promotion, the City could assist in reimbursement of tuition.
We dropped education incentive pay and post certificate pay.
In other words, the certificate that I earn from the State of
California as my certification as a peace officer, we want
paralleled with education incentive the AA and the BA
steps. That's been dropped.
"Our drug and alcohol policy is still being discussed. The
race track committee has been dropped. The residency
requirement, we'd like to modify it at 50 miles. We're all
aware what the economy has done, and with housing costs, how
much further you need to move out to get yourself someplace
nice. We've dropped the attendance incentive. These last few
things, like I said, we've very close to signing. We're very
close to meeting an agreement.
"Health insurance and salary are the main players. We'd like
to get the City to take a little more of the risk on the
health insurance increases. We feel with the EPO program, the
cash back being dropped, the City could meet us ha1fway'and
come up with 100% paid medical for the duration of this
contract. I have handouts of what I've read from that I'll
leave, if anyone has any questions. I certainly appreciate
~your time. I work p.m.'s, Randy is on graveyard, Gene-'s on
p.m.'s. If you have any questions at all, please feel free
to contact us."
In response to Councilmember Harbicht's questions, Agent Smith
gave a brief explanation of subpoena duties. An on-call
subpoena puts the officer on call for a specific day ...
generally the court session is in 'the morning. If the officer
is on call on his day off, he stays around home. If an
officer happens to be scheduled to work and is also on call,
he would come in early -- subpoena calls are generally at 8:30
to 8:45 a. m. Agent Smith's shift begins at 2:30 p.m., he
noted. If an officer happens to be scheduled for duty and is
called to court, he would "just go to court on duty".
Mayor Gi1b then thanked Agent Smith and Sergeants Kirby and
Gioia for coming this evening to make their presentation.
ADJOURNMENT
At 6:50 p.m.
ADJOURNED sine
Council REENTERED THE CLOSED SESSION and
die at 7:15 p.m.
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ATTEST:
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