10/11, Labor Turmoil in City Hall

Look at the picture of our vacant City Hall front desk and ask yourself: "Where are our priorities"?

RCHEA recently announced they are endorsing Jim Robinson for Mayor and Dayle "Hank" Margesson for Council. 10/19

Several weeks ago I was surprised to see Denine Garrison, President of Redmond City Hall Employee Association (RCHEA), give an "Items from the Audience" talk to Mayor Ives about Rosemarie's "lack of respect" for city employees. Two weeks later I was shocked when Ms. Garrison made similar requests but this time with 100 city hall employees standing behind her. Mayor Ives waved them out of the chamber.

I had no idea that labor relations within city hall were so bad. How will this unrest affect worker productivity? Labor negotiations have been underway for over a year; employees have to be stressed, right? Mayor Ives should think hard about the hidden costs of lost worker productivity when she meets with the bargaining board next week.

This serious labor strife comes at a time when Mayor Ives is trying to embolden her legacy and leave City Hall on a positive note. Certainly, neither Marchione or Robinson wish to inherit city staff malcontents from the Mayor Ive's administration.

Just who are these 200 troubled city hall workers ? They are: code enforcement officers, hard-working planning staff, financial analysts (Jim Robinson could relate), public works engineers, teen center staff, recreation coordinators, webmaster, administrative assistants, and on...these are the professionals who make our city run.

A city hall worker shared the following grief:

1. city hall RCHEA workers endured a *pay cut at the start of the year...
2. medical premiums increased.
3. the administration promises a cost of living increase but use it as a bargaining chip. Management and outside employees get a COLA every January 1. Not RCHEA workers.
4. the higher premiums resulted in a build up of the medical reserves $1.3 million higher than State expectations.

If I understood my city confidant correctly then I feel their grief. Though, I'm not certain how much their pay was reduced, if at all. An employee comment posted at the bottom adds insight to this conundrum.

In my 20 years working as a medical sales professional for various Fortune 500 corporations, I never once received a COLA. We were lucky to get a 3-6% annual merit increase and if sales were good -- a commission or bonus. I was never a good negotiator at infrequent salary reviews. My salary rarely exceeded industry standards. At times, I wished someone would bargain for me. Our business dress was befitting of a "professional salesperson" though no sharper than the city's "administrative assistants". Of course, our co-pays and premiums increased every year. A few times I changed jobs hoping to improve my standard of living.

We hope RCHEA and the Administration will find resolution at their October 15 meeting. It's unfortunate Holly Plackett isn't with us to help work things out.

One keeps going back to the huge material costs & overhead associated with our $70 million City Hall and we ask, "where were our priorities?" Councilmembers Cole, Vache, Myers, McCormmick, and Marchione have plans to impliment "Priorities in Budgeting." Isn't it time?

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*COMMENT BY A CITY HALL WORKER, 10/12:

"To clarify the issue of the pay cut: In Denine's talk, I think she references a pay cut, but it is in terms that net pay is reduced when medical premiums are increased, not a reduction in gross. COLAs are common in municipal government, but uncommon in the private world. Public employees don't have the benefit of bonuses or the ability to negotiate a raise, since staff position salaries are [rigidly] set by classification. COLA generally amounts to a 1-3% pay increase. The City does have a merit pay increase, but the merit increase is intended to be paid only to employees who far exceed expectations. Without a COLA, wages are stagnant, medical premiums rise, resulting in a net decrease in paycheck, an effective pay cut -- not even accounting for the loss of buying power due to inflation."

- city employee

COMMENT FROM "ROGER", 10/13

"...And, oh yeah, I forgot.... It took a lot of courage for the city staff to show up at the council meetings and confront the mayor. If she was running for re-election, it probably wouldn't have happened. I know city staff who are basically terrified of her.

Rosemarie Ives wasn't a bad mayor sixteen years ago. But something happened. Redmond became her city, not our city. It's time for the citizens to take it back. It's time for a mayor who is going to lead the city, not rule it. I don't know if John Marchione is perfect, but I'll take him over Jim Robinson any day. "