W. Hollywood Employees Claim Labor Triumph

Having won a major concession over retroactive pay increases, negotiators for the labor union that represents 80 West Hollywood city employees claimed victory this week after the City Council approved a revised labor contract.

“I think we had an incredible victory, and we’re very pleased,” said Claire Iandoli, a negotiator for Local 3339 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

As part of the settlement approved Monday, the employees will receive pay increases retroactive to March 16, 1987, as opposed to the city’s previous offer, which would have amounted to only half the retroactive pay demanded by the employees. The employees insisted they had been promised the full amount.

City Manager Paul Brotzman said the retroactive pay will cost West Hollywood about $110,000.

“I think it came down to the council members collectively taking a look at the merits of our position and determining that what we were asking was reasonable and just,” Iandoli said.

Although the union and city negotiators reached tentative agreement on salaries for 45 of 47 job classifications earlier this year, talks stalled in March over retroactivity and issues affecting 11 workers in three of the job categories.

These issues affect salary levels for six administrative aides, four hearing examiners and the production supervisor for the city’s cable television station.

In addition, the two sides also agreed to a 5% cost-of-living increase for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

After the talks broke off in March, union officials complained that council members were unwilling to sit down with them individually to discuss their grievances. The union asked to present its side of the dispute before the council at its regular meeting June 6.

Nevertheless, the matter was dropped from the agenda after council members agreed to meet individually with union officials two weeks ago. As a result of those meetings, city negotiators were instructed to return to the bargaining table.

On Monday, the contract settlement was lumped with numerous other miscellaneous items approved by a single voice vote as part of the council’s “consent calendar.”

The union’s current contract became effective July 1, 1986. At that time, the union agreed to postpone salary negotiations until an outside consultant could complete a study of the city’s job classifications and recommend salary levels.

Upon its release last July, however, the study drew criticism from both city and union officials, and city officials declined to make salary proposals based on it.

The union had claimed that the city reneged on a contract provision that wage increases resulting from negotiations be retroactive to at least March 16, 1987.