Earlier this week I attended the City of Coronado's City Council meeting in support of the City's 45 blue collar workers who were in negotiations for a new three-year contract.
Both the workers, represented by AFSCME Local 127, and the City had issued their last, best and final offer, leaving them at impasse.
The workers offered to take lower pay increases than the City was offering. In return they asked that a plan be put into place that would allow a couple of members who were nearing retirement age to retire in dignity.
Imagine that. These workers were willing to go against what was best for them individually, to do the right thing.
The difference between the two proposals was $23,000 spread over three years. The City's response was to offer a one-year contract that would punish the employees' by reducing their pay from the three-year contract proposal.
Due to the parties being at impasse, the Coronado City Council had three options:
1. Implement the employees' proposal
2. Implement the City's one-year proposal
3. Force the parties back to the bargaining table
The Council voted 4-0 to force the City's lesser one-year proposal on their employees.
Coronado, a city that is actively searching for a way to build a tunnel that would travel under the bay, was not willing to work at closing a $23,000 gap that would allow their employees to continue to be compensated at the market rate, and at the same time allow loyal employees to retire in dignity. Shame on the Coronado City Council.
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