THOUSAND OAKS : Mediator to Meet With City, Union

Leaders of a union that represents Thousand Oaks managers will meet with a mediator and city officials Thursday in an attempt to resolve a dispute over salary increases.

Managers and city personnel representatives will meet at 9 a.m. at City Hall, human resources manager Greg Eckman said.

Salary negotiations began six months ago between the city and the Thousand Oaks Management Assn., which represents about 100 middle managers and supervisors in the city.

Talks broke down Oct. 14 after the association declared an impasse in the negotiations.

Union President Jeff Knowles, an assistant civil engineer, said members are willing to take a smaller pay increase of 2.25% this year, but want to be able to set aside a greater share of the pay increase for lower-paid managers.

The city has refused to agree to those terms and and has also refused to allow the union to use part of the pay increase for a deferred compensation plan, Knowles said. The union is in the middle of a two-year contract.

It is the second year the union has asked for a mediator to resolve a salary dispute, Eckman said. Last year, members got a 4% pay increase effective September, 1991, after a mediator was called in.

“I’m being told that the chances don’t look good we’re going to resolve it,” Knowles said. “We’ll see what happens.”