AGREEMENT ON COMPOUNDING
We have achieved an agreement to settle the issue of the City’s failure to compound our three salary adjustments of 2.75% each (or our three “half Step” adjustments). This agreement provides in part that these half Steps will be compounded on a going forward basis. You should have noticed the increase in your earnings on the pay check you received on February 25, 2015, for the pay period ending February 21, 2015.
RETROACTIVE PAY FOR STEP PLACEMENT
The above agreement also causes these three “half Steps” to be treated as Steps for the purpose of Step placement upon promotion. As you may be aware, you are to receive at least a 5% pay increase upon promotion. Once you determine the amount that is 5% more than your current pay, you look at the Salary Range of the position you are promoting to for the Step you will be placed on. If the 5% more falls in between Steps, you will be placed on the next higher Step. Prior to this agreement, the City was not considering the “half Steps” as Steps for this purpose. Now if the 5% more amount is more than the 5th Step of the Class to which you are promoting, you will be placed on the appropriate Premium Level above the 5th Step. This part of the agreement is retroactive. That means if you promoted after June 1, 2013, and were not placed on the appropriate Step, you will receive pay retroactive to your date of promotion and your Step will be adjusted accordingly.
MOVEMENT IN LAPMA NEGOTIATIONS
While the details are not public as yet, we have made substantial progress in our negotiations for a new contract. We are still under a “confidentiality” agreement with the Mediator, so the details cannot be shared until a resolution is reached with all bargaining units in the Coalition of City Unions. However, we can share that, subject to fleshing out the detailed contract language, we are much closer to reaching an agreement with the CAO than we expected just a few weeks ago. We are developing detailed contract language for our MOU’s and working to complete negotiations at our bargaining unit tables on issues specific to each Unit. We hope to have detailed information available within a few more weeks. As soon as we complete work on the above issues, we will set up meetings to brief members and to vote on our new contract.
WIN FOR FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SPECIALISTS & ETHICS OFFICER III’S
When we accreted the above Classes into the LAPMA bargaining unit (MOU 36) in June of 2013, they should have received a 1.75% COLA on July 1, 2013. Instead, the CAO directed that they only receive a 1.5% increase. The CAO stated that they were not entitled to the higher increase that you and I received since we had not bargained for it for them. At our urging the incumbents filed a grievance to get the raise for which their contract called. Only three weeks before we were to present their case to the arbitrator, the CAO saw the light and agreed to adjust their pay to reflect the contracted 1.75% increase and to pay retroactive pay back to July 1, 2013! This is a big win not only for these members but also for the integrity of our contract.
In conjunction with the Coalition of City Unions and SEIU Local 721, LAPMA’s Board of Directors and its Executive Director are working hard to ensure that our members get a fair contract that will reflect the commitment and hard work they have done through the many years. We will have more information for you in the weeks ahead.
Charley Mims
Executive Director
LAPMA
David Lara
President
LAPMA