02/16/2005 - Special Impasse
CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL IMPASSE MEETING MINUTES
CITY OF CLEARWATER
February 16, 2005
Present: Frank Hibbard Mayor
William C. Jonson Vice-Mayor
Hoyt P. Hamilton Councilmember
Carlen Petersen Councilmember
John Doran Councilmember
Also present: William B. Horne II City Manager
Pamela K. Akin City Attorney
Cynthia E. Goudeau City Clerk
Patricia O. Sullivan Board Reporter – departed at 10:26 a.m.
Brenda Moses Board Reporter – arrived at 1:30 p.m.
The Mayor called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. at City Hall.
To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not
necessarily discussed in that order.
1 – Introduction by Mayor
2 – IAFF Presentation
IAFF (International Association of Fire Fighters) representative Paul Donnelly said the
union’s negotiations with the City are at an impasse. IAFF representative Walter Dicks provided
a PowerPoint presentation and reviewed the union’s request for a 3% GWA (General Wage
Adjustment) for those who worked during FY (Fiscal Year) 2002/03 and estimated City costs: 1)
Union proposal - $219,000 and 2) City proposal - $185,000 (one-time $1,000 bonus cost). By
paralleling a survey used to determine the City Manager’s wage adjustment, the union
determined City firefighters were paid 21% - 25% below the average hourly rate. He said the
City had budgeted a 3% GWA for FY 2002/03; a bonus would not change starting pay and
would weaken the City’s ranking. He requested a fair and equitable pay increase.
3 - City Presentation
Deborah Brown, City representative, reviewed IAFF negotiations, indicating the status
quo has been maintained since October 2002. She said the City had offered retroactivity with
multi-year agreements that included objectives. After union members overwhelmingly rejected
four agreements, the City abandoned all objectives and priorities to resolve FY 2002/03
business and offered a $1,000 gross lump sum bonus to all current employees, with no other
concessions. She said the administrative burden of calculating a wage adjustment would
outweigh any benefit, send the wrong message regarding bargaining, and raise the eligibility
issue for former employees. She said the City opposed retroactivity because competitive rates
could be achieved in the future. The rate of pay adjustment was not critical, as no significant
difficulty in filling vacancies had occurred; turnover was largely limited to retirements, and
according to union data, the annual salary remained close to the County average. She said the
City opposes paying former employees, as the union does not represent them.
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The City Council recessed from 9:19 to 9:39 a.m.
The City Attorney said Councilmembers would deliberate publicly and not discuss issues
during breaks.
4 – IAFF Rebuttal
IAFF representative Walter Dicks said City salary reports include substantial overtime.
He expressed concern the City’s objective to create a lifetime paramedic position was unsafe
because of burn out. He reported the union has safety concerns and opposes reducing staff
qualifications. He said the City needs to offer a competitive salary. He said firefighters have
cashed in floating holidays due to low salaries. He said while new employees received STEP
increases, the average increase for firefighter salaries was 1.93%, with 100 firefighters receiving
no increase.
Fire Chief Jamie Geer said unusual staffing issues related to sickness and injuries
temporarily required mandatory overtime. He said mandatory overtime had decreased
significantly.
5 – City Surrebuttal
Ms. Brown noted issues related to overtime, working conditions, etc. are not issues for
today’s meeting. She said the bonus is appropriate for a year that is long past. She said the
City is not accountable for negotiation delays. Regarding floating holidays, she said a threshold
in the union contract determined the number of staff who could have time off without deviating
from normal schedules. Overtime was offered on a voluntary basis before it became
mandatory.
In response to questions, Mr. Del Prete said CWA (Communication Workers of America)
employees do not receive Step increases but a general wage increase of 4%. When pay
ranges were adjusted by 2%, those below the minimum were brought up to the minimum and
considered as part of their 4% increase. Ms. Brown said Police Department salaries were
negotiated and increased due to turnover and unique situations. She said Police and Fire
department contracts were not considered in lockstep.
The City Council recessed from 10:26 a.m. to 1: 30 p.m.
6 - Council Discussion
Discussion ensued regarding the City’s proposal for a one-time bonus versus the union’s
request for a 3% GWA.
In closing Ms. Brown stated the union’s arguments are relevant in negotiations but are
irrelevant for today’s meeting. The City is seeking closure for FY 02/03 and once resolved,
negotiations for subsequent years will begin.
In closing Mr. Dicks noted firefighters have not received a wage increase since October
1, 2002. A 3% increase was included in the budget and that is what the union is requesting.
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