Workers Ratify Redondo Beach Contract

Blue-collar employees of Redondo Beach ratified a two-year contract with the city that provides annual wage increases of 6% but gave ground on a generous sick leave policy that union members had wanted for all members of the bargaining unit, City Manager Tim Casey said Saturday.

The wage increases, which are retroactive to July 1, are in line with what the city offered its other bargaining units.

Casey said that the union, which represents about 80 city employees, settled for a split policy on sick leave and disability pay that will treat employees hired after 1981 differently from those hired before.

Employees with 10 years of service who were hired through the end of 1981 are entitled to accumulate up to two years of paid sick leave; those with 20 years of service can accumulate up to 2 1/2 years. Casey said the union wanted to keep this policy for all blue-collar city employees.

But under the provisions of the contract, those hired in 1982 and later--about half the bargaining unit--will never be able to accumulate more than 12 days of paid sick leave. Anything over that must be taken in cash in the year it was accumulated, he said.

Nevertheless, those hired in 1982 and after will come under the citywide sick leave and disability policy that provides some benefits not offered by the policies covering those hired earlier.

The more recently hired employees will get a bonus of $225 for perfect attendance. Each of these employees will be able to take up to a year of paid disability leave throughout their city career, the city official said. Casey said that the employees hired earlier will not get these rights.

Unused disability leave for the employees hired in 1982 and later--like unused sick leave accrued by the employees hired earlier--can be cashed in at retirement, Casey said.

Patrick Chaplin, business agent for Teamsters Local 911, said the agreement was ratified Friday afternoon by an overwhelming majority, with only “a handful” voting against it.

“The vote was not quite unanimous but very popular,” he said.

About three weeks ago, the union began picketing City Hall and sought assistance from a state mediator in reaching a contract.

“As soon as we made that demand,” Chaplin said, “the wheels began to roll in council and they decided to take a shot at settling it and they did.”