Review Union Contract Negotiations Schedule and Process 

The purpose of this discussion is to receive feedback from the City Council regarding the pending contract negotiations schedule and process.   

Background:
Due to a lack of time, this discussion was scheduled for, but not held on both May 25, 2021 and June 8, 2021.  

Note: This evening's discussion is not to include discussions pertaining to wages or any other contract item; those conversations will occur during closed meetings.

The City has four unions: AFSCME with 43 employees, LELS Patrol with 21 employees, LELS Sergeants with 4 employees, and LELS Captains with 2 employees.  There are also 27 non-union employees.  (LELS stands for Law Enforcement Labor Services.)  AFSCME  (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees) is made up of many different positions, including but not limited to PW Maintenance Workers (Building, Parks, Streets, and Utilities) Administrative Assistants, Police and Fire Technicians, the Accounting Clerk, Permit Technicians, the Zoning Code Enforcement Officer, the Community Development Assistant, and more.  City unions must operate within the Public Employment Labor Relations Act (PELRA) which is the Minnesota state law that regulates labor relations between public employers, their employees, and the labor organizations that represent their employees.  The Act and all four contracts are attached.

All four union contracts will expire on December 31, 2021.  It is staff's goal to proactively work to have all of the contracts settled and ready for adoption at or prior to the December 14, 2021, Council meeting.  Staff has meetings set up with all four groups in June.  Additional meetings will be held and staff will schedule work sessions with the City Council to provide updates and seek Council direction as we progress through the negotiations process.  

It has been suggested that the City Council may want to have a member from City Council present during the negotiation meetings. Mayor Kuzma was suggested for this role at the time.  Because of the delay in hearing this case, and the fact that negotiation meetings have already been held, Mayor Kuzma attended those meetings.  Staff is looking for direction (by consensus) in regard to a Council representative and we will schedule accordingly.  Note:  The member selected must have daytime availability.  Periodic meetings (closed sessions) are held with the Council to provide updates and to receive direction during the negotiation process.

The first City budget discussion is scheduled for July 13th.  Council meetings to discuss the contracts (closed to the public) will begin at the same time and will likely run through the end of November, occurring every 4-6 weeks or as needed.

Approximately 10 minutes.

Not applicable at this time.

Colleen Lasher, Administrative Services Director (Head of Human Resources)

The intended outcome for this evening is for the City Council to select, by consensus, a Council Member to attend union negotiations meetings and to provide feedback regarding the negotiations schedule.