Jan 21, 2025 Labor and Economic Development Committee - This is Considered a Special Meeting (trimmed)

[Call to Order]

[00:00:15]

HELLO, EVERYONE. THANK YOU FOR COMING. THIS IS A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE LABOR AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE. TODAY IS JANUARY THE 21ST, 2025. THE TIME IS NOW 307. WE ARE RUNNING A LITTLE OVER BECAUSE THE PREVIOUS COMMITTEE RAN OVER. MADAM CLERK, COULD YOU PLEASE READ THE INTO THE RECORD? THE VIRTUAL MEETING NOTICE THIS MEETING IS BEING HELD PURSUANT TO CARRY 61.826 AND COUNCILMEMBER FIVE A READ IN FULL. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS

[Roll Call]

[1. R-001-25     A RESOLUTION RATIFYING AND APPROVING A COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT (FROM THE DATE OF APPROVAL BY THE LOUISVILLE/JEFFERSON COUNTY METRO COUNCIL TO JUNE 30, 2026) RELATING TO WAGES, BENEFITS, AND OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT BETWEEN LOUISVILLE/JEFFERSON COUNTY METRO GOVERNMENT AND TEAMSTERS LOCAL UNION NO. 783, AFFILIATE OF THE INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS, CONCERNING CERTAIN EMPLOYEES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS & ASSETS, THE DEPARTMENT OF CODES & REGULATIONS, METRO POLICE DEPARTMENT, FACILITIES & FLEET MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT, AND PARKING AUTHORITY OF RIVER CITY DEPARTMENT. Sponsors: Markus Winkler (D-17) ]

SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED, SAY NO. THIS LEGISLATION IS SPONSORED BY COUNCILMAN MARCUS WINKLER. HE IS NOT HERE TO SPEAK ON IT, BUT WE DO HAVE SPECIAL GUESTS IN ATTENDANCE. SO MISS ANGELA DUNN AND MR. AARON JACKSON FROM THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND OFFICE OF BUDGET AND MR. JEFFREY STANFIELD, LABOR RELATIONS NEGOTIATOR, IS HERE.

AND YOU JUST STATE YOUR NAME AND YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. ANGELA DUNN CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER WITH THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET, HAVE A HIGH LEVEL SUMMARY AS IT RELATES TO THIS CONTRACT. SO THE AGREEMENT BEFORE YOU COVERS 573 POSITIONS. IT IS A FIVE YEAR CONTRACT COVERING FISCAL YEARS 24 THROUGH 28. IT INCLUDES STEPS COLAS AND LONGEVITY. FOR AND SPECIFICALLY FOR 24, IT CALLS FOR A 3% WAGE INCREASE THAT WOULD BE RETROACTIVE TO JULY 1ST, 2023 2425 CALLS FOR A 5% WAGE INCREASE, INCLUDING SOME ADDITIONAL MARKET RATE ADJUSTMENTS FOR CERTAIN CLASSIFICATIONS. FY 26 CALLS FOR A 5% WAGE INCREASE AND THEN FISCAL YEARS 27 AND 28 BOTH CALL FOR A 3% WAGE INCREASE EACH YEAR. THE TOTAL COST OF THE CONTRACT IS 158.9 MILLION WITHOUT FRINGES. AND THEN, OF COURSE, WITH FRINGES, THAT TAKES IT TO 233.9 MILLION. IT WAS VOTED ON 196 TO 80. THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE TO MAKE A PRESENTATION? MEMBERS, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? THE ONLY QUESTION I WOULD HAVE IS THE DOCUMENT READS THAT THIS IS A BARGAINING AGREEMENT FOR CERTAIN EMPLOYEES OF THOSE DESIGNATED DEPARTMENTS.

COULD YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THAT CERTAIN AND WHO THOSE REPRESENT? SURE. NOW, I DON'T HAVE A BREAKDOWN OF THE COUNT FOR EACH POSITION, BUT THE CLASSIFICATIONS ARE FACILITIES, LABORERS, FLEET MECHANICS, CODES AND REGULATIONS, EQUIPMENT OPERATORS, SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT, SANITATION, TIPPERS, STREETS AND ROADS, SIGN TECHNICIANS AND POLICE, STORAGE EQUIPMENT OPERATORS AND TOWING EQUIPMENT OPERATORS. OKAY. ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS? COUNCILMAN OWEN. THANK YOU. CHAIR. SO? SO THE TOTAL COST OF THIS PACKAGE IS TWO 33.9 MILLION. IS THAT.

WHAT IS THAT? WHAT? WE'RE. THAT'S CORRECT. AND THAT'S OVER THE LIFE OF THE CONTRACT, OVER THE LIFE OF THE CONTRACT. SO I GUESS I WAS THIS IS MORE OUT OF CURIOSITY REALLY THAN ANYTHING.

SO THE NEGOTIATION THAT TOOK PLACE, HOW MUCH OF IT WAS BASED ON TRYING TO GET OUR PEOPLE UP TO A COMPARATIVE RATE WITH OTHER CITIES, THE PEOPLE WHO DO THESE SAME JOBS IN OTHER CITIES, AND

[00:05:01]

SIR, IF YOU WILL JUST STATE YOUR NAME FIRST. SORRY. MY NAME IS JEFFREY STANFIELD, FOR THE RECORD. MR. OWEN, I THINK THE PROBABLY THE BEST ANSWER IS A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH. MR. SHAH IS HERE FROM THE UNION. HE CAN HELP ANSWER ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS. I WASN'T GOING TO LET YOU TAKE THIS ALL ON YOUR OWN, SIR. I APPRECIATE IT. JUSTIN SHAH, PRESIDENT OF TEAMSTERS LOCAL 783. WE LOOKED AT DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT RATES ACROSS THE CITY AND DIFFERENT CITIES HERE IN THE HERE IN THE STATE. SO IT'S A COMBINATION OF BASICALLY TRYING TO GET US TO MARKET AND TRYING TO COMPENSATE OUR INTERIOR, OUR WORKFORCE, KIND OF INTERNALLY TO WHERE WE THINK THEY'RE JUST A FAIR SUMMARY. THAT'S A FAIR SUMMARY. YES, SIR. THERE WERE SEVERAL THAT WERE BELOW MARKET VALUE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO CATCH UP. MAYBE NOT ALL THE WAY TO MARKET VALUE, BUT DEFINITELY BECOME COMPETITIVE, COMPETITIVE IN THE MARKETPLACE AND OVERWHELMINGLY RECEIVED WELL BY THE MEMBERSHIP. SO WE FEEL LIKE THROUGH THROUGH THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT, WE WILL WE WILL BE GETTING IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING WE'LL HAVE GOTTEN THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE UP TO MARKET. IS WHAT I'M HEARING FROM YOU GUYS? YES. MOST OF THAT ADJUSTMENT WILL OCCUR IN THE SECOND YEAR OF THE CONTRACT. AND THEN THERE WILL BE COLAS IN IN THE FOLLOWING YEARS. THAT WILL HELP BRING US UP A LITTLE FURTHER. AND NICOLE IS WERE THE TWO PERCENTS THERE AT THE. NO. THAT WAS THAT WAS IT WAS FIVE, THREE THREE AFTER THE SECOND YEAR. 533. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU GUYS. APPRECIATE IT. OF COURSE. ARE THERE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS. COUNCIL CHAIR. COUNCIL MEMBER.

SEAN. JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, WHAT WHAT IS THE MARKET RATE AND HOW FAR OFF ARE WE AND WHY COULDN'T WE JUST GO STRAIGHT TO THE TO THE MARKET NOW TO HELP AND TO HELP RETAIN THE EMPLOYEES THAT WE HAVE. YOU KNOW, WE APPRECIATE THE UNION AND WE APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU GUYS ARE DOING. I MEAN, THEY'RE WORKING TIRELESSLY. THEY, YOU KNOW, THESE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS ARE PRIME EXAMPLE OF THE EFFORTS AND THE, THE, THE WORK AND THE 24 HOUR SHIFTS THAT THEY'RE PUTTING IN. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TAKE CARE OF OUR, OUR EMPLOYEES IN THE CITY TO THE BEST POSSIBLE CAPABILITY. SO HOW FAR OFF ARE WE FROM MARKET? I WOULD THINK A COUPLE OF PERCENT OVERALL. AND THAT'S ADJUSTED IN THE THIRD YEAR OF THE CONTRACT. SO BY YEAR THREE WE'RE AT MARKET RATE. AS FAR AS I KNOW. YEAH. AND MARKET RATE IS A VERY DIFFICULT THING TO DETERMINE. MY BEST EXAMPLE IS THE HEALTH INSURANCE. THAT PACKAGE THAT METRO PROVIDES MOST OTHER EMPLOYERS DON'T. SO TAKING THAT INTO ACCOUNT WHEN DETERMINING MARKET RATES IS DIFFICULT.

UNDERSTOOD. THANK YOU. HOW DOES THIS HELP US RETAIN AND BRING ON MORE TEAMMATES FOR THE GUYS TO WORK THERE. YOU GOT THIS ONE. SURE. SO I ALSO WANT TO ADD EMPHASIS THAT THIS CONTRACT IS ALREADY A YEAR EXPIRED. SO ACTUALLY THE RATES THAT ARE BEING ADJUSTED, THE MARKET VALUE WILL ACTUALLY HAPPEN THIS YEAR WHICH WILL BRING THEM UP. AND THEN THEY'LL HAVE THOSE COLAS IN ADDITION, WHICH WILL DEFINITELY MAINTAIN AND WE'RE HOPING WILL BE THE RECRUITMENT AND THE RETENTION PIECE IN ADDITION TO THEIR LONGEVITY, TO MAINTAIN THAT EMPLOYMENT. THANK YOU. VICE CHAIR BASS. I JUST HAD A QUESTION. I NOTICED THAT THERE WERE 80 NAYS. THAT'S ONLY 116 DIFFERENCE. WHAT WAS YOU ALL TORE UP ON? WAS IT BENEFITS OR WAS IT WAGES? DO YOU FEEL LIKE WHAT THE DETERMINING FACTOR WAS? SO THERE ARE THERE ARE CERTAIN GROUPS THAT FELT LIKE THEY WERE A SPECIFIC GROUP FELT LIKE THERE COULD BE SOME MORE. WE WAS VERY CLEAR THAT THIS WAS ALL ENCOMPASSING AND ALL HANDS ON DECK KIND OF THING, BUT THEY JUST WANTED A BIT MORE. OKAY.

THANK YOU. I SUSPECT THAT WILL ALWAYS BE THE CASE, RIGHT? ABSOLUTELY. TRADITIONALLY, YES.

WELL, AND IT SHOULD BE. IT'S GOOD TO HAVE OPPOSITION. ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS? SEEING NO FURTHER QUESTIONS. THIS IS A RESOLUTION REQUIRING A VOICE VOTE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED SAY NO. THE AYES HAVE IT AND THE RESOLUTION PASSES. THANK YOU.

OMB AND OUR GUESTS FOR COMING TODAY. MEMBERS, THERE ARE NO OTHER ISSUES ON OUR AGENDA TODAY UNLESS YOU WANT TO PRESENT ONE. THERE BEING NONE, THIS MEETING STANDS ADJOURNED. THANK YOU FOR

[Adjournment Note: Agendas are followed at the discretion of the Chair. While an item may be listed, it does not mean all items will be heard and/or acted upon by the Committee.]