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Months
Later, City Employees Still Without a Contract
In an effort
to make their displeasure known, more than 20 union members attend
council meeting sporting green AFSCME T-shirts
By Allison
Jean Eaton
Bulletin Staff
Writer
It’s been almost three years since city employees have received
a raise, and after months at the bargaining table, the union is becoming
understandably impatient and unhappy.
Frustrated with the lengthy negotiations and the inability of both
sides of the table to come to a consensus regarding salary, scores of
union employees donned their green American Federation of State, County
and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) T-shirts before heading in to work Nov.
16.
And at last week’s council meeting, more than 20 sported the green
T’s to “respectfully” demonstrate their frustration
and let the Council know that employee morale is dwindling, according
to Compton’s AFSCME Council 36 business representative, Alvin Austin.
“We are currently involved in labor negotiations and have been
involved with the city for a number of months, I want to even say years,” said
Austin, who represents about 150 city employees. “The [memorandum
of understanding] expired in June of this year, 2006, and it had
been extended from December 2003.”
According to Austin, the tone at the bargaining table “has not
been good.”
“We have made some advances...but we still have some ways to go,” he
said, tagging the lack of an agreement on salary as the most important
issue at the table.
City Manager Barbara Kilroy said she is not at liberty to discuss
or comment on the negotiations, though she did say that three negotiation
sessions were scheduled for this week.
Roosevelt Peters, president of Local Union No. 2325 — comprised
of clerical and non-supervisory employees — and an accountant in
the City Controller’s Office, said the union wants more than what
the city has thus far been willing to offer.
“We do not agree to the percentage the city is proposing,” he
told The Bulletin.
Austin explained that low employee morale and the city’s recruiting
and retention issues are symptoms of going so long with no raise. And
it’s negatively impacting the quality of services being delivered
to residents.
“We can do better, and we’re here to tell you we can do better,” said
Austin. “We want to help you do better.”
But he alluded that this won’t happen until the union gets a contract.
He cited the ever-increasing cost of living as reason enough that
a sizeable raise is long overdue. Between 2003 and today, he said, the
cost of living has shot up more than 15 percent.
“That means that these city employees have lost buying power; they’ve
had diminished buying power and they’ve had diminished resources
over the last three years without a pay raise.
“We have been patient, and we want a contract now,” Austin
said.
The mayor expressed dissatisfaction at the contract’s still not
being inked.
“I’m with you 100 percent,” said Mayor Eric J. Perrodin
to the union members during his council comments last week. “You
should have had a contract a long time ago. It’s my strong hope
and strong desire that you have a contract prior to Dec. 1, where at
least you can
take it back to your membership and at least they can get one check
before Christmas.”
“You need a raise, and that’s a fact,” said Councilwoman
Lillie Dobson to the union members in the audience, whom she described
as the “legs” of
the city. “I’m for what’s right and what we can afford.”
Austin said he is hopeful that he can come back to the Council
in several weeks to celebrate a new contract.
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