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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOLLECTIVE BARGAINING UPDATECollective Bargaining Stacy Hawks,Director of Human Resources – Employee & Labor Relations Monica Kopin, Director of Human Resources –Talent Acquisition & Workforce Development February 20, 2024 The Ask How does City Council want to respond to the request to collectively bargain, as submitted on February 1, 2024 by IAFF? COLLECTIVE BARGAINING| 2 •State Code Changes Recap •Virginia Beach: Task Force + Request to Bargain •Virginia Peers Scan •Request to Bargain: Potential Paths Forward •Council Discussion and Direction COLLECTIVE BARGAINING| 3 State Code Recap COLLECTIVE BARGAINING| 4 •Effective May 1, 2021, the General Assembly amended Virginia Code Section 40.1-57.2 to allow collective bargaining with specified parameters, and if authorized by local ordinance or resolution •Previously, public sector collective bargaining was prohibited in Virginia COLLECTIVE BARGAINING| 5 Virginia Code 40.1 -57.2 •Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) may not require employee membership in union •City may not require employees to pay labor union dues •CBA provisions may not require City to violate any Virginia Code provisions including the requirement to have a grievance procedure •Strikes are still prohibited even if there is a collective bargaining agreement •An ordinance permitting collective bargaining cannot include provisions that restrict the Council’s authority to establish a budget and appropriate funds COLLECTIVE BARGAINING| 6 Virginia Code Prohibitions Virginia Beach COLLECTIVE BARGAINING| 7 •Council established a Task Force •Submitted its recommendations in December 2023 •Task Force recommendations: •No more than 5 bargaining units (9-2) •Three Bargaining Topics •Wages and Benefits (11-0) •Working Conditions (8-3) •Grievances (11-0) COLLECTIVE BARGAINING| 8 Collective Bargaining Task Force •City Council must consider if they will authorize collective bargaining if requested by a majority of the public employees in a proposed bargaining unit •Request delivered by IAFF Local 2924 on February 1, 2024 •Representing the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Departments •City Council must vote on this request no later than May 31, 2024 COLLECTIVE BARGAINING| 9 Request to Bargain Virginia Peers Scan COLLECTIVE BARGAINING| 10 •Virginia code does not dictate what topics can be subject to negotiation, which allows for varied implementation from locality to locality •Administering collective bargaining, its associated costs and resource needs are largely influenced by what is in the final collective bargaining agreement •The code change is fairly recent resulting in limited Virginia peer data being available for analysis and forecasting COLLECTIVE BARGAINING| 11 Information Limitations •Portsmouth •Approved collective bargaining •No ordinance or active CBAs •Norfolk •Did not approve collective bargaining •Expanded size of employee committees •Chesapeake, Hampton,Newport News, and Suffolk have not taken up the topic COLLECTIVE BARGAINING| 12 Hampton Roads •Alexandria •3 active contracts •Arlington, Fairfax, and Prince William County •2 active contracts •While still early in their implementation, associated implementation costs range from $794,000 - $2.4M, which includes 5 – 9 FTEs •Full understanding of ongoing costs/needs not fully known at this time COLLECTIVE BARGAINING| 13 Virginia Localities with Active Contracts •Pay system modifications may be needed •Benefit modification/ implementation •Policy modification/ oversight COLLECTIVE BARGAINING| 14 VB Preliminary Resource Scan Department Minimum Annual Estimated Need Costs FTE, if applicable Human Resources $225,625 2 FTEs City Attorney’s Office $230,101 2 FTEs Outside Counsel $44,000 - IT Contracted Resources $400,000 - Estimated Costs $899,726 Request to Bargain: Potential Paths Forward COLLECTIVE BARGAINING| 15 •City Council must vote on the request no later than May 31, 2024 •Potential options: •Vote no to collective bargaining •Reject collective bargaining request •Pursue alternative options •Formalize Meet and Confer •Expand City employee committees (MAC) •Vote yes to collective bargaining •IAFF submitted ordinance •Alternative ordinance COLLECTIVE BARGAINING| 16 Potential Paths Forward The Ask How does City Council want to respond to the request to collectively bargain, as submitted on February 1,2024 by IAFF? COLLECTIVE BARGAINING| 17 Council Discussion + Direction COLLECTIVE BARGAINING| 18