Emeryville: Where Managers Need A Union Too!
News Analysis
Budget crisis? What budget crisis?
If you thought the City's attack on Emeryville Child Development Center earlier this year was based on anti-union sentiment among the City's managers, the story just got a bit more complicated.
The City Council is poised to vote Tuesday on a resolution put before them from the managers on the city staff to make a whole new unionized workforce at City Hall. They're calling for the creation of a new union, just for managers called the Confidential, Administrative, Managerial and Professional employees (CAMP).
It seems the City's managers have decided that what's good for the rest of the City's employees is good for them too and they have organized the union that includes everyone except the City Manager Patrick O'Keeffe, City Attorney Michael Biddle, Assistant City Manager Delores Turner, and the Human Resources Director.
The manger's union will include the Fire Chief, Police Chief, Community Services Director, Child Development Center Manager, Senior Center Manager, and apparently all other previously unrepresented City employees; unrepresented because they are managers, not workers.
It seems the City's managers have decided that what's good for the rest of the City's employees is good for them too and they have organized the union that includes everyone except the City Manager Patrick O'Keeffe, City Attorney Michael Biddle, Assistant City Manager Delores Turner, and the Human Resources Director.
The manger's union will include the Fire Chief, Police Chief, Community Services Director, Child Development Center Manager, Senior Center Manager, and apparently all other previously unrepresented City employees; unrepresented because they are managers, not workers.
What motivated this revolt? There was some belt-tightening required to pass the most recent budget, and City management had to give up their Administrative Leave cash out, which in prior years had been used as a means to reap a nice year-end bonus for those managers eligible. When the City Manager and City Attorney recently modified their contracts with the City, they both retained a right to cash out Administrative Leave. So perhaps the hypocrisy of the City's leadership finally pushed these other managers to stand up for their posh benefits.
The revolt might also be in response to the new budget's call for the management to start contributing something towards the employee-portion of their retirements. Previously the City paid both its share and the employees' share, but the new budget called for employees to start chipping in. This was something the managers first tried to avoid last July with the proposal of a "me-too" clause that would give them the benefit of whatever deal another group, such as the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)-represented employees, might be able to negotiate (see Tattler story "Budget Crisis" July 18). The Council reacted harshly to this proposal and made it clear that their direction to implement employee contributions towards retirement was unequivocal and should have already been implemented. Months later, it remains unclear whether it has, and now, it looks like the process for modifying the pay and benefits of the City's managers will require bargaining with their new union.
Here's a list of the new unionized positions: Job Classifications and/or Titles of Employees Represented by CAMP:
- ACCOUNTING MANAGER
- ACCOUNTING SUPERVISOR
- ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY
- ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF
- ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER/CITY CLERK
- CHIEF BUILDING OFFICIAL
- CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
- CITY CLERK
- EXECUTIVE SECRETARY/CITY CLERK
- TECHNICIAN CIVILIAN COMMANDER
- COMMUNITY PRESERVATION OFFICER
- COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR
- DEPUTY CITY ATTORNEY
- DEPUTY CITY CLERK
- CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER MANAGER
- DIRECTOR/ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING DIRECTOR/PLANNING AND BUILDING DIRECTOR/PUBLIC WORKS/CITY ENGINEER
- FINANCE DIRECTOR
- FIRE CHIEF
- HUMAN RESOURCES ASSISTANT
- HUMAN RESOURCES TECHNICIAN
- INFORMATION SYSTEMS ANALYST I INFORMATION SYSTEMS ANALYST 1/
- INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGER
- MANAGEMENT ANALYST OFFICE ASSISTANT 1/ -
- CONFIDENTIAL PARALEGAL
- POLICE CAPTAIN
- POLICE CHIEF
- POLICE SERVICES MANAGER
- PUBLIC WORKS SUPERINTENDENT
- RECREATING MANAGER
- RECREATION SUPERVISOR
- SENIOR CENTER MANAGER
It's high CAMP.
ReplyDeleteGood for them. Organized labor works much better and more efficiently when everyone is organized. You shouldn't lose representation as a result of working hard and being promoted to manager.
ReplyDeleteInteresting point! Let's let unions spread everywhere. How about a union for CEO's and CFO's? They could go on strike against the shareholders, hold out for higher pay. Remember, America's CEO's are very hardworking why shouldn't they also have representation?
ReplyDeleteOr maybe not. Maybe this is all just a ploy for City Hall managers to skirt the belt tightening they've pushed on everyone else.
Confidential? Meaning no transparency I am sure. When they give to the little folk first--early educators, low-paid admin etc., then I will see a need to negotiate with this new union. I believe in unions for the ordinary worker. The worker who is not in a position of power to negotiate alone or is subject to a higher office pressurizing them. Managers are normally salaried not hourly and are most often exempt staff--meaning they get paid an annual salary for the work they do--no extras. It's time the city council did their job and stop allowing the city manager and his staff to run the show.
ReplyDeleteHere here!
ReplyDeleteThis is quite a surprising story. I don't think managers deserve any "mee-too" clauses in anything. Managers are already paid well. They don't need extra perks.
ReplyDeleteIt must suck for these people to have to start paying into their own retirement fund. What a joke. I've seldom even been offered a 401K match by any employer.