ACEA Press Release, Friday, 14 May 2004
"Alameda City Employees Looking For Fair and Lawful Treatment

Editor:

The 230 employees represented by the Alameda City Employees Association (ACEA) are seeking fair and lawful treatment from the city. When the city unilaterally decided to alter terms of the agreement under which the parties were operating during negotiations, the ACEA filed unfair labor practice charges with the Public Employees Relations Board (PERB). There is a substantial lag between making that filing and obtaining judicial remedy. In order to prevent similar actions by the city, it became necessary to seek authorization from the members to call a strike.

We hope that the city's decision to defend the charges rather than comply with the contract terms (as they have done with every other organization with which the city has similar terms) is not indicative of how the city will continue to act. The cost of hiring outside counsel is likely to exceed the cost of complying with the items in dispute. But that is how they have decided to spend the city's money in these tight economic times.

The employees represented by ACEA have historically cooperated in their labor relations with the city and accepted modest increases in wages and benefits over the years. The result has been a grinding lag in the compensation of these employees so that they fall far below their counterparts doing the same work in neighboring cities. The benefit to the city, of course, was the development of a substantial reserve to get it through difficult times.

To his credit, City Manager Jim Flint began to address the issue of this disparity during the term of the last contract. He indicated that he would remain committed to reaching the modest objectives to which we each had agreed. Whether or not he now retains that same level of commitment is at question, for the city has not provided ACEA with any offer of terms since he requested "hiatus" from negotiations in November.

The city's employees cannot stand idly by as the city changes at whim the terms and conditions by which they are employed. We remain committed to negotiate fair terms, and are hopeful the city will correct its unlawful conduct through negotiation at our mediated session in June. Abuse by the city of that commitment is that which will result in any service disruption to you. If that occurs we extend our apologies to the citizens in advance.

Alan Elnick
Business Representative
aelnick@oe3.org

Marion Miller (Merry Ann Miller)
President, Alameda City Employees Association (ACEA)
mmiller@alamedapt.com

Operating Engineers Local #3/ACEA
Alameda City Employees Assoc.
1620 South Loop Road
Alameda, CA 94501
(510) 748-3912