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Increase transparency with City labor negotiations <br />December 20, 2022 <br />Page 2 <br />3 <br />1 <br />4 <br />5 <br />essential to retain the confidentiality of the City’s respective labor strategy. However, <br />there are options to increase transparency with labor negotiations. With that said, there <br />are three options for ongoing and future labor negotiations, which include: <br />(1) Maintain the status quo for conducting labor negotiations. Specifically, the City’s <br />labor representative receives Council direction during closed session deliberation and <br />proposals between the parties are exchanged in a closed, non-public negotiation <br />sessions; <br />(2) Adopt a set of collective bargaining rules between the City and its respective labor <br />unions which negotiations are conducted in an open setting so that members of the public <br />who wish to observe can do so; or <br />(3) Adopt a quasi-modified style of labor negotiations, in which the City’s labor <br />representative would continue to receive Council direction regarding the City’s labor <br />strategy during closed session deliberation and proposals between the parties would <br />continue to be exchanged in closed, non-public negotiation sessions. However, the City <br />would publically post (via the City website) the City and labor’s proposals and costing of <br />said proposals, after said has been exchanged between the parties during the course of <br />negotiations. This option is done at a few agencies in Southern California who have <br />adopted transparency ordinances requiring the posting of proposals. In Orange County, <br />this includes the cities of Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa. <br />In regards to option 2 above, the City would need to develop proposed rules for <br />conducting labor negotiations in public, and the City would be required to meet and confer <br />with each labor union over the proposed rules. Moreover, it would likely be an unfair labor <br />practice charge to refuse to bargain with labor unions except for in a public setting. <br />In regards to option 3 above, the City is not required to meet and confer with the <br />respective labor unions to publically post the City and labor’s proposals and costing of <br />said proposals, after said has been exchanged between the parties during the course of <br />negotiations. <br />Accordingly, if Council desires to increase transparency with City labor negotiations and <br />modify how negotiations are currently conducted, staff recommends the Council adopt <br />option 3 above for labor negotiations between the City and all respective labor unions (not <br />solely the SAPOA). It is significant to note that option 3 can be implemented immediately <br />for all ongoing and future labor negotiations. <br />ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT <br />There is no environmental impact associated with this action. <br />FISCAL IMPACT <br />There is no fiscal impact.