AN ORDINANCE relating to City employment; authorizing the execution of agreements between The City of Seattle and certain City unions; authorizing compensation for certain City employees not covered by a collective bargaining agreement; and ratifying and confirming certain prior acts.
The bill passes and the chair will sign it. Will the piece affixed my signature to the legislation on my behalf? Will the clerk please read item one into the record? Agenda Item one Constable 120 186 Plaintiff Study Employment authorizing the execution of agreements between the City of Seattle and certain city unions. Authorizing compensation for certain city employees not covered by collective bargaining agreements and ratifying confirming certain prior acts. Thank you so much. I move to pass Council Bill 120186. Is there a second second? It's been moved and seconded to pass the bill. I am the sponsor of this bill, so I'll address it first and then open the floor to comments. But before we actually debate the underlying bill, I did want to move the adoption of the amendment. I did have an opportunity to speak about the amendment this morning and it was published on the agenda. It is Amendment eight pardon. So I'm gonna go ahead and do that first so we can have a conversation of a potentially amended bill before us. So I moved to amend Council Bill 1 to 0 186 as presented with Amendment A on the agenda. Is there a second? Okay. Thank you. It's been we've been seconded to amend the bill is presented on Amendment A. Again, colleagues, as I describe during this morning's council briefing, this legislation would authorize additional pay for frontline city employees to acknowledge hardships, offset additional costs, and retain frontline city employees to continue to deliver in-person essential city services during the COVID 19 Public Health Emergency. As it relates to the items addressed in this legislation, the city last week reached a new tentative agreement with Protect 17, representing the central staff analyst bargaining unit. Amendment eight, which is currently before us, would attach this new tentative agreement to the Council bill so that it would be ratified, along with the other agreements already included in the legislation that was transmitted to us by the executive branch. This tentative agreement includes the same terms and benefits as the other agreements that were attached to this bill as it was transmitted. And the late edition of this agreement is simply the results of sequencing, since the executive led negotiators and city unions did not initially include the central staff analyst bargaining unit. This agreement is ready now to be attached to this legislation now that those negotiations have occurred and have been completed. So I'm happy to answer any questions about Amendment A, but of course, I do recommend that my colleagues support the adoption of A. Any questions? Or comments on Amendment eight seen none will accept. Please call the role on the adoption of Amendment eight. Whereas I. Lewis. Yes. Morales. Yes, i. Peterson I. Sawai Yes. Strauss Yes. Herbold Yes. President Gonzalez I. Nine in favor. Nine opposed. The motion carries in and Amendment eight is adopted. And I'm going to go ahead and make comments on the amended bill before opening up to any further debate. Again, Council Bill 120186, as amended, includes terms for frontline worker pay that are authorized by this Council bill that would be authorized by this Council bill if approved. So the terms in this bill, excuse me, were negotiated with various unions representing city employees, and the benefits provided therein will apply to both represented and non represented frontline workers employed by all three branches of city government, including the legislative branch. Following the adoption of Amendment eight, which we just did, this legislation would ratify four tentative agreements with all the bargaining units who have agreed to these terms. This frontline worker pay will go to eligible employees in the form of a lump sum payment of up to a maximum of $1,750. This is comparable to the total value of the telework stipends that have been paid to city employees who have been working virtually throughout the pandemic. So generally speaking, city workers are eligible for either the telework stipend or the frontline worker pay and cannot earn both benefits. The estimated cost for additional paid to, represented and not represented frontline workers is approximately $6.5 million, and there are sufficient reserves in the general fund needed to support this this additional expense. I do want to make sure that members of the viewing public and colleagues know that future legislation will have to come before the Council later this year or early next year to make appropriations to various city departments in order for them to execute the lump sum payments to eligible employees. Once we have a better sense of the full universe of those who will claim it. Finally, as I noted during this morning's council briefing, the city has now reached tentative agreements regarding frontline worker pay, with all unions representing city employees. With the exception of the Seattle Police Officers Guild and Police Officers Guild was offered the same terms and benefits agreed to by all other unions, but has so far rejected the city's proposed terms. Of course, we're disappointed in in that rejection, but that will continue to move through our processes here to make sure that the frontline workers who are complying with vaccine requirements and who are also and agree frontline workers in agreeing to accept these terms are compensated accordingly. Okay, folks, I don't have anything else to say on this particular issue, so I'm going to go ahead and wrap up my comments and open up the floor to any additional comments on Council Bill 120186. Any additional comments or questions? Cast member me, please. I just want to make one additional point. Thank no president with us for covering this so thoroughly. One additional point I would like to just add is my understanding as it relates to the position that Spock has taken, that the city. Did not. Tie offers on acknowledgment, appreciation, pay, two offers on vaccine mandates. So I just think that's. An important clarification for folks who are. Following along on. Both of these related issues. Thank you. Thank you. Any other comments or questions on council? The 120186 as amended herein, none. Will the court please call the rule on the passage of the amended bill. Suarez II. Lewis. I. Morales Yes. Macheda i. Peterson I so want yes. Strauss Yes. Verbal yes. President Gonzalez. I. Nine in favor. Nine opposed the motion carries the bill passes as amended, and the chair will sign it. Will the Court please affect my signature to the legislation on my behalf? Is there any further business to come before the Council? Not seen any hands raised. So, colleagues, this does conclude the items of business on today's agenda. Our next regularly scheduled city council meeting is on a is on October 18, 2021 at 2:00 PM. I hope that you all have a wonderful afternoon returns. Thanks, everyone.