THOUSAND OAKS : City OKs Pacts for Workers, Managers

Labor contracts containing salary increases for managers and general employees in Thousand Oaks have been approved by the City Council.

The council voted 4 to 0 Tuesday night to ratify two-year contracts with both the Thousand Oaks City Employees Assn. and the Thousand Oaks Management Assn., which together represent 453 city workers. Councilman Alex Fiore was absent.

The decision concludes nearly four months of negotiations between the city and both unions. Employees have been working without a contract since July 6, when the last two-year agreements expired.

The raises, which are retroactive to Sept. 28, are expected to cost $500,000 this year, Human Resources Manager Greg Eckman said.

A total of 337 general employees, who earn between $1,697 and $2,779 a month, will get a 4% increase across the board.

They will also have the right to appeal performance evaluations to an outside arbitrator in cases where the evaluations affect layoffs.

About 116 managers will get a wage increase of up to 7%, based on job level and job performance. Managers earn $2,648 to $4,369 a month.

Managers did not get similar concessions regarding evaluations, an issue that union spokesman David Cochran said he plans to raise again.

Cochran said that about 50 members of the managers association almost unanimously ratified the proposal in a ballot Monday and Tuesday.

General employees have yet to ratify the city’s offer. They are scheduled to vote today, said Doris J. Lucas, president of the City Employees Assn.