San Jose City Administration Refuses to Negotiate Pension Reform With Unions

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Beginning at 4:00 AM Monday, unions representing architects and engineers (AEA), mid-level managers (CAMP) and maintenance supervisors (AMSP) will staff an RV parked across the street from San Jose City Hall 24/7 prepared to meet with the City on a moment's notice to negotiate on pension reform.

"After over a year of heated rhetoric calling for public employee pension reform, and just a few days before it may vote to declare a phony 'fiscal emergency,' the City is refusing to negotiate the very pension reforms they have been clamoring for," said John Mukhar, President of AEA/IFPTE Local 21.

At a meeting held on Friday, June 3rd, the City Administration told the leadership of AEA, CAMP and AMSP that it is:  "... not prepared to discuss pension reform until after the ballot measure language is drafted." The City Administration distributed a letter that made reference to language for a proposed ballot measure and refused to discuss cost saving pension reform proposals as they were directed by the City Council to do.  AEA/CAMP/AMSP will release notes attributed to all nine union attendees at this meeting demonstrating how City negotiator's are stonewalling on real pension reform.

"The City Administration has chosen to disregard what their bosses told them to do: work with the employees on negotiating and costing out pension reform proposals and presenting fiscally sound options to the decision makers, the City Council," said Nancy Ostrowski, IFPTE-Local 21 lead negotiator. Ostrowski added, "It's as if the May 24 Council adoption of Councilmember Rocha and Constant's recommendations directing the Administration to negotiate and cost out various reform options didn't happen, what got lost in translation?"

"The City Council meets tomorrow and we will be there demanding that they tell their negotiators to quit trying to run out the clock and engage us in meaningful negotiations on legal pension reform," said Cay Denise MacKenzie, President of CAMP/IFPTE Local 21.  "The residents of our City want reasonable pension reform and so do we.  We are in an RV about 150 steps from City Hall.  We're not going anywhere until we have real negotiations on pension reform.  I hope they call or come over and start bargaining now."

AEA, CAMP and AMSP were among the first employee bargaining units to agree to 10% total compensation cuts, increased health care premiums/co-pays and other fiscal reforms to save jobs and services.  They also signed a side letter agreement to negotiate pension reform and are still waiting to have those negotiations.

SOURCE International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, Local 21