Minutes - Council - 12/10/2019 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Administrative Services Director Lasher provided input on the different employee groups and the negotiations that occur with those groups. She stated that non-union employees do not have that option. She explained that the City reviews information provided by the League of Minnesota Cities in its annual salary survey to compare similarly sized metro cities. City Administrator Ulrich stated that this is for non-union employees and is not bound by contract. He stated that although the numbers could be changed by the Council, staff is not recommending that for the reasons stated by Administrative Services Director Lasher. He noted that these remaining positions could unionize, which would not be preferred, and therefore the tradition has been to match the union rates. Administrative Services Director Lasher stated that she would fall back to the issue of internal equity and believed it to be most effective and fair to keep the wages and benefits the same between the different employee groups. Councilmember Riley asked the percentage of City staff that is non-union. Administrative Services Director Lasher estimated about 28 percent of staff are non-union. Councilmember Riley stated that a lot of work and hours from staff and the Council are spent negotiating different union contracts with four different employee unions. He commented that three percent is not unreasonable for a COLA and therefore would support this action. Motion by Councilmember Riley, seconded by Councilmember Kuzma, to Adopt Resolution#19- 286 to Authorize the City's 2020 Non-Union City Health and Dental Insurance Contributions and Non-Union Cost of Living Adjustments. Further discussion: Councilmember Musgrove asked the difference between private and public sector negotiations for salary. She stated that in the private sector that is typically done individually based on the value of that employee during the past year. Administrative Services Director Lasher stated that there are systems in place for holding wages steady if performance does not meet standards. She stated that wage increases are not assigned based on performance, but each job class has a wage based on its job value. Motion carried. Voting Yes: Mayor LeTourneau, Councilmembers Riley, Kuzma, Menth, and Specht. Voting No: Councilmembers Heinrich and Musgrove. 7.08: Adopt Resolution #19-288 to Approve Position Reclassifications Administrative Services Director Lasher reviewed the staff report and recommendation to reclassify the four positions as proposed and adopt Resolution#19-288. Councilmember Specht asked if these are positions that have not existed previously. Administrative Services Director Lasher explained that these are positions that have evolved over time and therefore the existing job description has been revised to reflect the duties being City Council/December 10, 2019 Page 15 of 17