Title
Approval of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters (UAPP), Local Union No. 412, Covering the Period of July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2026.
Recommended Action
I move that the Board of Public Utilities recommend approval of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the County of Los Alamos and the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters (UAPP), Local Union No. 412, for the Period of July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2026 and forward to County Council for approval.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Board of Public Utilities endorse County Council approval of the Agreement as requested.
Body
Los Alamos County and the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 412 entered into negotiations on May 4, 2021 for the purpose of developing a new CBA as the current Agreement is set to expire on June 30, 2021. Negotiations were conducted over 3 negotiation sessions and the outcome was a tentative agreement was made on May 13, 2021. The agreement is for a five-year CBA, including non-economic and economic items. The Union ratified this proposed agreement on May 18, 2021. The CBA is presented in Attachment A for the Board of Public Utilities review and consideration of a recommendation for approval by County Council.
The significant changes to the contract include:
1) There were a couple of job title changes which will not result in any promotion or pay adjustments. The title changes are: WWTP Apprentice 3 is now WWTP Operator and WS Apprentice 3 is now WS Operator.
2) The safety boot allowance was increased to $200.00 annually (or as needed). The allowance for prescription safety glasses was added for up to $150.00 bi-annually. (same as the IBEW Contract)
3) The Meals and Expenses Article was revised that when an employee is held over or called out, the employee will be entitled to a meal after four (4) hours and every five (5) hours after that until released from work. Meals earned but not eaten shall be paid at twenty ($20.00) dollars per meal. Employees are required to complete an employee expense claim form within 14 days of the qualifying event. (same as the IBEW Contract)
4) The call out administrative leave language was changed to match the current IBEW contract language. If an employee works 16 consecutive hours they are entitled to an 8 hour consecutive rest period and if an employee works at least 2 hours between the hours of midnight and 5 am, or gets called out between 2 AM and 5 AM, they will now be eligible for an 8 hour rest period.
5) The language in the Stand-by article was revised that when the primary and secondary employees are required to be on stand-by duty on a holiday (per County Personnel Rule 720) but are not called-out, those stand-by hours will be considered time worked only for the purposes of overtime calculation.
6) The Gas System Welding Program section was significantly changed. The only remaining provision of this article left in place was the agreement on pay for specific welds performed by a certified employee. The training program had not been successfully initiated for reasons on both sides. The Union is primarily responsible for the training and the County is responsible to provide an eligible employee. Both parties have agreed to develop (at a later date) a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to specifically develop a training program including a defined schedule and expectations and the County will authorize employee participation.
8) The Pay plan maintained in the 5 tiers previously established, such that equal level employees in each Occupational Group receive equal pay. See Exhibit 1 for specifics, the overall increase for the five year contract was 17.8% (3.56% per year on average).
9) The current contract is a four-year contract, however the parties were able to negotiate a five-year contract that will begin July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2026
Alternatives
This 5-year contract is the result of good-faith negotiations between the County and the UAPP and is approximately equivalent to terms and conditions of employment for all regular County employees. Staff believes that the recommended approval of this contract is the best available alternative.
Fiscal and Staff Impact
The FY22 costs of the CBA add approximately 4% to wages and a budget revision will be brought back to BPU and Council after the CBA is approved and signed by the parties.
Attachments
A - UAPP Agreement 2021-2026