Page One

Amid pressure from four labor unions, Berkeley’s city manager said Tuesday night that he would begin meeting with union leaders today to resolve a contentious contract dispute between city management and more than 1,000 municipal workers. 

Weldon Rucker’s announcement follows a statement released Monday stating that the city’s four unions, representing more than 60 percent of the municipal workforce, were teaming up to strengthen their bargaining position against the city’s contract negotiating team. 

The unions’ demands for better wages and benefits come ill-timed as the city seeks to patch up a $2.8 million deficit before the state’s June 30 deadline. 

\ In addition, the city faces a July deadline for restructuring its employee retirement plan with the state, an issue contingent upon current contract negotiations. 

“If we extend [the negotiation process], it will get costly,” said Rucker. 

Delays in revamping the city’s Public Employee Retirement System mean missing out on more than $1 million through refinancing, explained Tom Farrell, a union representative. 

Rucker noted that the city was considering a “vast array” of retirement packages, and said that lags in contract negotiations were partially due to the failure of unions to reach consensus about which plan the city should select. 

Union leaders, though, said that the city’s negotiating team was to blame for not reaching a contract after more than six months of negotiations. 

“We can’t get them to move [on the compensation package]” said Sandra Lewis, president of the Clerical Chapter of Local 790 of Service Employees International Union. “We have to be willing to meet each other in the middle.” 

Union leaders, in the joint statement wanted cost of living adjustments for city civilian workers that are comparable to those recently allotted for city police officers. 

The police were awarded hikes as high as 31 percent, noted Kathy Rollins, business agent for Local One. Meanwhile, the city’s negotiating team wants us to accept increases of 2 percent, she said. 

“You have a class workforce, and you only want to give us crumbs that are left over after you’ve dealt with public safety officers,” Rollins said of city management. 

City Councilmember Dona Spring said that employee salaries are based on what other city’s employees earn, not on favoritism. Spring noted, however, that she sympathized with the unions’ calls for a pay hike. 

Employee contracts expire July 6 but sources close to the private negotiations say its unlikely that a new contract will be signed by this date. 

“We all want this concluded as quickly and fairly as possible,” said Mayor Shirley Dean. 

The four unions in collaboration include Local One, Local 790 of Service Employees International Union, Local 535 of SEIU and Local 1245 of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The unions are made up of a range of professionals from mid-level managers to technical and trade positions.