SR-603-002 (4)
PE: Letter of Understanding.MEA.bancroft.pms Santa Monica, California
Council Meeting: February 10, 2004
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Execute a Letter of
Understanding With the Municipal Employees Association Regarding
Administration of Section 4.01 (Holidays) of the Memorandum of
Understanding between the City of Santa Monica and the Municipal
Employees Association
INTRODUCTION
This report requests that Council adopt the attached resolution authorizing the City
Manager to execute a Letter of Understanding with the Municipal Employees Association
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regarding a change to the way the Lincoln?s Birthday holiday (February 12) is
administered for MEA employees for 2004.
BACKGROUND
In the late 1990?s, in order to provide better customer service to the residents of Santa
Monica, the City met and conferred with the City?s non-safety bargaining units about
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exchanging the Lincoln?s Birthday holiday, which always falls on February 12, for a
floating holiday. This change enabled City Hall and other City offices to remain open on
Lincoln?s Birthday, with the employees scheduling their floating holiday on a day when the
employee?s absence would not negatively impact City operations. (Unlike President?s Day,
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which is an observed City holiday, Lincoln?s birthday is not widely observed and many
customers expect to access City services on that day.)
The Municipal Employees Association (MEA) was the only bargaining unit that did not
agree to make this change because there were a number of MEA employees who were
regularly assigned to work on holidays and receive holiday pay plus overtime pay for
working on the holiday. Converting the Lincoln?s Birthday holiday to a floating holiday
would result in those employees losing the overtime pay that they have always received
each year.
Even though an agreement was not reached with MEA, City Hall and other City facilities
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have remained open to the public on February 12 each year. Since MEA continued to
observe Lincoln?s Birthday as a paid holiday, the City had to either pay MEA employees
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overtime and holiday pay to work on February 12 each year or reduce City staff by giving
the majority of the MEA employees the day off with holiday pay. This resulted in staffing
shortages, impaired customer services, and increased overtime expenditures for the City.
In recognition of the need to provide good customer service and reduce City operating
costs, MEA has agreed to change the way in which the Lincoln?s Birthday holiday is
administered for MEA employees for 2004. Under the Letter of Understanding between
the City and MEA, employees who are regularly assigned to work on holidays will continue
to observe Lincoln?s Birthday as a holiday. These employees will not lose the overtime
pay that they normally receive as a result of being assigned to work on that holiday. Those
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MEA employees who are not regularly assigned to work on holidays will receive a floating
holiday in lieu of the Lincoln?s Birthday holiday. The City will be able to adequately staff
City facilities on February 12, 2004 without incurring additional overtime expenditures as a
result of this change.
BUDGET/FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no increase in City expenditures associated with the attached Letter of
Understanding between the City and the Municipal Employees Association.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that Council adopt the attached Resolution authorizing the City
Manager to execute a Letter of Understanding Between the City of Santa Monica and the
Municipal Employees Association regarding administration of Section 4.01 (Holidays) of
the Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Santa Monica and the Municipal
Employees Association.
Prepared By: Karen Bancroft, Director of Human Resources
(See adopted Resolution No. 9925 (CCS)).
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