Hammering out a deal
Some Imperial County employees may see 2.5% pay raise following negotiations
EL CENTRO — A portion of Imperial County employees may soon have a little extra cash in their wallets now that the Board of Supervisors and labor negotiators representing three bargaining units have reached a tentative agreement calling for a 2.2 percent increase to salaries. The salary increase would begin with the next full pay period following ratification of the agreement.
Imperial County staffers currently are calculating the exact fiscal impact on county funding and are determining from which county fund the money will be sourced, officials said, adding more information will be available after the agreement is ratified.
All of the county employees’ bargaining units, which number more than a dozen, have been in negotiations since 2017.
The last raise county employees received was a 2.5 percent salary increase in 2016.
The tentative agreement approved by supervisors this week applies to permanent and probationary part-time and full-time employees, but does not include employees classified as being extra help, seasonal, temporary, on special assignment or who are working as substitutes.
The tentative agreement also does not apply to members of Teamsters Local 542, which has been in contentious labor negotiations with the county for more than a year. Union representatives are expected to meet with county officials for private negotiations this afternoon, said Ruth Duarte, Teamsters Local 542 bargaining unit member.
The county’s negotiations with the Teamsters and all other bargaining units, came as departments were being asked to cut expenditures by 15 percent. During this time, the county has increasingly relied on its reserves to cover increased expenditures.
During its regular meeting Tuesday morning, the Imperial County Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 0 — Michael W. Kelley, District 3 supervisor, was absent — to accept the tentative agreement with the Management Bargaining Unit, the Professional Employee Group and the Confidential Clerical Bargaining Unit for a successor memorandum of understanding to the current MOU, which expired on June 30, 2017.
Labor negotiators with the three bargaining units will now need to review and agree to the successor memorandum, and return signed documents stating their agreement to the board of directors for approval.
If approved, the term of the successor memorandum will be from July 1, 2017 through March 30, 2021.
The successor memorandum proposes a 2.2 percent base wage adjustment effective the first full pay period following ratification of the MOU, representing about $731,407 for the 2018-19 fiscal year. Future 2.2 percent base wage adjustments are tentatively slated for July of both 2019 and 2020. This represents about $747,499 for the 201920 fiscal year, and about $763,944 for fiscal year 2020-21. This cost does not include an estimate for an increase in employee benefits associated with the successor agreement.
The successor memorandum, if approved, in 2019 will affect health insurance coverage for county employees, who will be able to choose between two policies, and life insurance, which would be increased from the current rate of $75,000 to $100,000.
The health insurance is expected to cost the county at least $1.1 million in additional monies over the current policies, according to county officials.
Under the successor memorandum, eligible county employees would also be considered for tuition reimbursement of $2,250 for undergraduate studies and $2,750 for graduate studies.
Finally, under the successor memorandum, Cesar Chavez Day — falling each year on March 31, would be a paid holiday for eligible county employees. Teamster demands As part of ongoing negotiations, union officials have called for increased salaries, reflecting the fact the cost of living has increased 51 percent in the past 10 years, while union members’ wages have risen only 12 percent during that time, Duarte has said.
Teamsters Local 542 represents more than 1,000 county workers employed as clerks, technicians and skilled labor and trades. The starting wage for some is $11.07, just 7 cents above the minimum wage, Duarte has said.
Since 2017, parties have met intermittently, including once when the county reportedly rejected the union’s four-year contract proposal and again to demand concessions from union members, Duarte has said.
The union had initially proposed a gradual 30 percent salary increase over a four-year period, as well as greater employer contributions to medical insurance premiums.
Another sticking point with the county are union demands for changes to its grievance procedures as well as overtime rules that substitute comp time for added compensation, Duarte has said.
Currently, parties are trying to negotiate a twoyear contract.