Leaders of the City’s labor unions praised the City of Arcadia’s recent groundbreaking negotiations spearheaded by Mayor Segal and first reported here at ArcadiasBest.com on Jan. 13:
Beth Stogner, President of the Arcadia City Employees Association: “On behalf of the members of the (ACEA), I wish to thank Mayor Segal for his vision and the successful completion of a more positive, productive, and efficient labor negotiation process. The resulting contract is conservative, but fair, as it addresses the needs of employees and their families. For the past several years, City employees and residents alike have suffered the difficulties of a faltering economy, both professionally and personally. As challenging as this has been, we feel very fortunate to have ‘weathered the storm’ and look forward to being active participants in the recovery process. ACEA members remain committed to providing the highest quality services to our residents, contractors, developers, and business owners on a daily basis.”
Jimmy Trabbie, President of the Arcadia Police Officers’ Association: “The Arcadia Police Officers’ Association was pleased with the recent negotiation process with the City. We feel our Association agreed on a fiscally responsible contract that is fair and equitable to both the membership and the community.”
Anthony Pulido, President of the Arcadia Public Works Employee Association: “APWEA members are dedicated to providing the community with exceptional service and we look forward to continuing to do so in the future. We approached negotiations with the mindset of wanting to achieve a fair and fiscally responsible contract, and that goal was achieved. We appreciate the time and effort the City Council put toward negotiations, and feel that the efficient and transparent way everything was handled is a credit to all involved.”
Chen Suen, First Vice President and Lead Negotiator for the Arcadia Firefighters’ Association: “Through a successful collaborative effort and transparency on both sides, the Arcadia Firefighters’ Association and the City came to a more expedient resolution this year. The contract was fair to both the City and our members in light of the current economic state. The AFFA remains committed to serving the community.”
As previously reported, the City of Arcadia recently entered into four-year labor agreements with each of its Employee Associations. Unique to this accomplishment is the fact that for the first time, labor agreements were negotiated in less than two months, six months prior to when negotiations would typically begin, and without the use of lawyers, which saved the City between $75,000 and $100,000. The new agreements are effective April 2013 and run through Fiscal Year 2017-2018. For police, fire and general employees, the contracts authorize a 2.0% cost-of-living adjustment in the first three years and a 2.5% adjustment in the final year, along with a contribution to either the employee’s health insurance allowance or their deferred compensation account. Employees in the Public Works Employee Association will receive a 3.0% increase in the first two years, a 2% increase in year 3 and a 2.5% increase in the final year, as well as an increase in their medical allowance, similar to what was provided to other groups.
Upon being selected as Mayor in April 2013, Mickey Segal, whose term on the City Council ends this April, stated that his primary goal was to see the City take a different approach to labor negotiations in the coming year. Specifically, he wanted the process to be more efficient, more open, and most importantly, result in an extended term that would give the City “hard” numbers to use in forecasting the City budget for the next several years. “The City’s business is service, and as such, our largest expense is employee costs. With the economy remaining in flux, knowing the exact amount of the City’s largest expense is extremely useful and puts us in a better position to accurately plan and budget for the future,” Segal said. “Arcadia’s history of financial stability and conservatism remains true today, and having labor agreements in place for the next four years will go a long way toward keeping the City’s expenses on-track.” Employee Associations played a key role in the negotiation process and in achieving consensus in record time: “I believe employees approached this effort in a collaborative manner, in good faith and with knowledge of City operations,” Segal said. “Their understanding of City’s finances, and their desire to see Arcadia remain a top-notch, financially stable and responsible organization were evident. I give the employees credit for coming to the table with a spirit of fairness and cooperation; in the end, they made it happen.”
Total cost of the Agreements for the four-year period is $3,188,580. Employment resolutions that cover working terms and conditions for unrepresented management employees are expected to be brought to the City Council in the near future.