Post by cruda on Aug 23, 2005 16:51:41 GMT -5
City workers stage one-day strike
They complain Modesto is providing firefighters, police with better benefits
By TODD MILBOURN
BEE STAFF WRITER
Last Updated: August 23, 2005, 08:01:41 AM PDT
More than 200 Modesto municipal employees didn't show up for work Monday as union leaders rallied downtown to demand better benefits for the city's lowest-paid workers.
As they converged on Tenth Street Place, hoisting placards and distributing fliers, the workers' voices could be heard inside sixth floor offices; they hoped management and the City Council were listening.
"They've always given us the crumbs, and now they're not even giving us that," said Lisa Taylor, 42, a street sweeper and 14-year city veteran. "I'd like to see them put out fires without water or see police handle traffic without streetlights — those are the jobs we do."
The one-day walkout — the first of its kind in at least 30 years — did not disrupt the city's daily operation, according to city officials.
Union leaders said that wasn't the point. Instead, they sought to showcase the plight of the city's 550 rank-and-file workers, who receive lesser benefits than their counterparts in public safety and management. The walkout did not include police officers or firefighters.
Contract talks between the city and the union representing the Modesto City Employees Association have been at an impasse since June over health and retirement benefits.
On Sept. 6, the City Council is scheduled to vote on mandating the terms of a two-year contract, which it can do in the event the sides fail to reach a deal through negotiations or mediation. The previous contract, a five-year deal, expired July 25.
Meanwhile, negotiations between the city and the 200-employee Modesto Confidential and Management Association also are nearing an impasse, city officials said. The MCMA represents mostly middle managers.
City Manager George Britton described the city's offer to its rank-and-file employees as fair, especially in light of recent financial troubles, which have led the council to make huge cuts in public programs and services.
"We're not the most generous city, but we're not the least generous either," Britton said. "These are taxpayer dollars, and we need to balance our needs."
The average union employee earns $18 an hour, according to Bob Phibbs, a Lodi attorney and the union's negotiator. Based on a 40-hour workweek, that's about $3,100 a month.
Both sides said Monday they still are willing to negotiate.Phibbs said the MCEA board would meet later this week to discuss its next step. He said another job action is unlikely.
The terms of the proposed contract include a 3 percent raise each year, although those raises don't take effect until the seventh month of each year, which union officials say effectively works out to increases of about 1.5 percent each year.
The city is proposing a $100 monthly increase in the city's contribution to family health care plans each year. For single employees, their monthly contribution would increase by $57 the first year and $45 the second year, according to the city.
The city's "last, best and final" offer doesn't include the "enhanced retirement benefit" workers had sought, which would allow them to set aside money for wage increases and collect it in larger retirement benefits.
Britton said the city opposes that idea not only because it is expensive, but also because lowering wages would make it more difficult to attract younger workers, for whom retirement isn't an immediate priority.
Brady Dehart, 32, a water department mechanic, said the city, on the whole, offers better benefits and more security than many private employers.
Still, he said workers are frustrated that in 2003 the council gave police officers a boost in benefits, while rank-and-file employees didn't get the same hike.
"All (the council) talks about is bringing good jobs — not just jobs, but good jobs — to the area and then they turn around and don't take care of the people under their noses," said Dehart, who has worked for the city for seven years.
Dehart, a father of two, said he recently accepted a job at a private construction firm in large part because the company offered higher wages and better benefits.
"I don't want to leave," he said. "But I've got to take care of my family."
Bee staff writer Todd Milbourn can be reached at 578-2339 or tmilbourn@modbee.com.
They complain Modesto is providing firefighters, police with better benefits
By TODD MILBOURN
BEE STAFF WRITER
Last Updated: August 23, 2005, 08:01:41 AM PDT
More than 200 Modesto municipal employees didn't show up for work Monday as union leaders rallied downtown to demand better benefits for the city's lowest-paid workers.
As they converged on Tenth Street Place, hoisting placards and distributing fliers, the workers' voices could be heard inside sixth floor offices; they hoped management and the City Council were listening.
"They've always given us the crumbs, and now they're not even giving us that," said Lisa Taylor, 42, a street sweeper and 14-year city veteran. "I'd like to see them put out fires without water or see police handle traffic without streetlights — those are the jobs we do."
The one-day walkout — the first of its kind in at least 30 years — did not disrupt the city's daily operation, according to city officials.
Union leaders said that wasn't the point. Instead, they sought to showcase the plight of the city's 550 rank-and-file workers, who receive lesser benefits than their counterparts in public safety and management. The walkout did not include police officers or firefighters.
Contract talks between the city and the union representing the Modesto City Employees Association have been at an impasse since June over health and retirement benefits.
On Sept. 6, the City Council is scheduled to vote on mandating the terms of a two-year contract, which it can do in the event the sides fail to reach a deal through negotiations or mediation. The previous contract, a five-year deal, expired July 25.
Meanwhile, negotiations between the city and the 200-employee Modesto Confidential and Management Association also are nearing an impasse, city officials said. The MCMA represents mostly middle managers.
City Manager George Britton described the city's offer to its rank-and-file employees as fair, especially in light of recent financial troubles, which have led the council to make huge cuts in public programs and services.
"We're not the most generous city, but we're not the least generous either," Britton said. "These are taxpayer dollars, and we need to balance our needs."
The average union employee earns $18 an hour, according to Bob Phibbs, a Lodi attorney and the union's negotiator. Based on a 40-hour workweek, that's about $3,100 a month.
Both sides said Monday they still are willing to negotiate.Phibbs said the MCEA board would meet later this week to discuss its next step. He said another job action is unlikely.
The terms of the proposed contract include a 3 percent raise each year, although those raises don't take effect until the seventh month of each year, which union officials say effectively works out to increases of about 1.5 percent each year.
The city is proposing a $100 monthly increase in the city's contribution to family health care plans each year. For single employees, their monthly contribution would increase by $57 the first year and $45 the second year, according to the city.
The city's "last, best and final" offer doesn't include the "enhanced retirement benefit" workers had sought, which would allow them to set aside money for wage increases and collect it in larger retirement benefits.
Britton said the city opposes that idea not only because it is expensive, but also because lowering wages would make it more difficult to attract younger workers, for whom retirement isn't an immediate priority.
Brady Dehart, 32, a water department mechanic, said the city, on the whole, offers better benefits and more security than many private employers.
Still, he said workers are frustrated that in 2003 the council gave police officers a boost in benefits, while rank-and-file employees didn't get the same hike.
"All (the council) talks about is bringing good jobs — not just jobs, but good jobs — to the area and then they turn around and don't take care of the people under their noses," said Dehart, who has worked for the city for seven years.
Dehart, a father of two, said he recently accepted a job at a private construction firm in large part because the company offered higher wages and better benefits.
"I don't want to leave," he said. "But I've got to take care of my family."
Bee staff writer Todd Milbourn can be reached at 578-2339 or tmilbourn@modbee.com.
