TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Diego Chavez, Administrative Services Director
SUBJECT:
title
Approving a Tentative Agreement for a Successor Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Murrieta and the Murrieta General Employees’ Association for the Period July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2027
end
RECOMMENDATION
recommendation
Adopt Resolution No. 24-4783, entitled: A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Murrieta, California, Approving a Tentative Agreement for a Successor Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Murrieta and the Murrieta General Employees’ Association for the Period July 1, 2024 Through June 30, 2027.
body
PRIOR ACTION/VOTE
On September 19, 2023, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 23-4704, approving, adopting, and implementing a successor Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Murrieta and the Murrieta General Employees’ Association for the period July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2024 (Vote: 4-0-1).
CITY COUNCIL GOAL
Maintain a high performing organization that values fiscal sustainability, transparency, accountability and organizational efficiency.
BACKGROUND
Through the process of collective bargaining, the City of Murrieta (City) periodically negotiates with the respective employee organizations for the purpose of establishing and/or updating compensation, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment for their represented employees, including tentative agreements for successor Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) affecting compensation and benefits. All such agreements must be voted on and passed by a majority of each affected employee organization’s membership, known as ratification, and subsequently approved by the City Council before becoming effective. Once approved by the City Council, the terms of tentative agreements for successor MOUs are immediately effective but also then memorialized in the successor MOU or through MOU amendments and brought back to City Council for final approval.
The MOU between the City and the Murrieta General Employees’ Association (MGEA or Association), adopted by City Council Resolution No. 23-4704 covering the period July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2024 (MGEA MOU 2022-24) expired June 30, 2024. MGEA currently represents 146 non-sworn City employees, including 47 different classifications across the organization.
The labor representatives of the City and MGEA commenced labor negotiations for a successor MOU with their first meeting on March 19, 2024. The labor representatives met again on April 9, 2024; April 23, 2024; May 8, 2024; May 28, 2024; June 11, 2024; June 20, 2024; July 1, 2024; and July 23, 2024. The labor representatives of the City and MGEA have met and conferred in good faith and have come to a ratified Tentative Agreement on a fair and equitable package of compensation and benefits for a successor MGEA MOU covering the period July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2027, pursuant to the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (MMBA) (Government Code sections 3500-3511) and the City's Employer-Employee Relations Resolution No. 93-214.
The members of the Association have voted to ratify the Tentative Agreement, and the labor representatives of the City and the MGEA have executed the Tentative Agreement subject to City Council final approval. Staff has prepared a Resolution (Attachment 1) for City Council to consider approving the executed Tentative Agreement for a successor MGEA MOU for the period July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2027.
As negotiated, the proposed Tentative Agreement for a successor MOU includes the following significant compensation and benefits terms:
• Four percent (4%) base salary Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), effective the first pay period after City Council approval of the Tentative Agreement.
• An additional one percent (1%) base salary equity adjustment for the Public Safety Dispatcher I and II classifications, equaling 5% total, not to be compounded, effective the first pay period after City Council approval of the Tentative Agreement.
• An additional five percent (5%) base salary equity adjustment for the Building Inspector I classification, equaling 9% total, not to be compounded, effective the first pay period after City Council approval of the Tentative Agreement.
• Effective the first full pay period in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025/26, a COLA increase in base salary equivalent to the lesser of either four percent (4%) or the percentage change of the 2024 Annual Consumer Price Index (CPI). If the CPI percentage change is negative, then the COLA shall be zero percent (0%).
• Effective the first pay period in FY 2026/27, a COLA increase in base salary equivalent to the lesser of either the percentage change of the 2025 Annual CPI, or the percentage change, year-over-year between audited fiscal years 2023/24 and 2024/25, in Recurring Revenue of the City’s primary Operating Funds, but not to be less than two (2%) nor exceed four percent (4%). If the CPI-U percentage change is negative or the change in Recurring Revenue is below zero percent (0%), then the COLA shall still be two percent (2%).
• Increase uniform allowance from $600 to $1,000 for the Code Enforcement Officers and Police Community Services Officers. All other classifications receiving a uniform allowance remain unchanged.
• Increase the work boot reimbursement amount from $250 to $300 and add the Police Community Services Officers and Senior Public Works Inspectors to the list of covered classifications.
• Public Safety Dispatchers shall receive $75 per month if they prove possession of an intermediate P.O.S.T. certificate and $150 per month if they prove possession of an advanced P.O.S.T. certificate. These are an either/or non-stackable benefit.
• The New Year’s Eve Day holiday shall be increased from a half-day to a full-day holiday.
• Increase the health allowance amount from $1,647.83 to $1,747.83 effective the first full pay period after City Council approval of the Tentative Agreement. Effective January 1, 2025, the monthly health allowance amount will increase from $1,747.83 to $1,891.283. There is no change to the current annual adjustment language (50% of the lowest-cost family HMO premium increase for 2025, 2026, and 2027).
• Increase the City’s deferred compensation plan matching amount from $1,600 to $2,000 per year.
• Increase the maximum Annual Leave cash-out amount from 40 to 80 hours twice per year.
A Fully executed copy of the Tentative Agreement is attached to Resolution No. 24-4783 as Exhibit A.
FISCAL IMPACT
The projected fiscal impact of implementing the MGEA MOU for the period July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2027, is $5,144,212. This includes vacant positions authorized in the current budget. A budget adjustment for FY 2024/25 was included in the FY 2024/25 Budget Update approved by the City Council on August 20, 2024. The fiscal impact for FY 2025/26 and 2026/27 will be included in the next proposed biennial budget.
|
FY 2024/25 |
$885,934 |
|
FY 2025/26 |
$1,797,511 |
|
FY 2026/27 |
$2,460,767 |
|
Total |
$5,144,211 |
ATTACHMENTS
1. Resolution No. 24-4783