APPRO-2024-1 : An Appropriation from the Contract Stabilization Fund (#8404) to Library Budget (#611) to fund year 1 of the recently executed CBA in the amount of Forty-Four thousand, four hundred ten dollars ($44,410).

Transcript (~8 min @ 5:24)

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▶ 5:02 Leila Migliorelli: Okay. Um, I just wanna note for the record that we've also received, the counsel has received around 20 emails or so for order 2024 dash four. Um, just wanna acknowledge that, that those are in the record in I QM two. If there's no objection, I'd like to close public comment. Seeing none, we are now closed for public comments. Since we have members of the administration here tonight to speak on the items before us, I'd like to motion by unanimous consent to suspend rule 37 B before we proceed. Seeing no objection, the rule Rule 37 B is now suspended. First on our agenda tonight is appropriation 2024 dash one and appropriation from the contract stabilization fund 8 4 0 4 to library budget 6 1 1 to fund year one of the recently executed C B A in the amount of $44,410. Tonight we have Paulina Lata, director of HR here with us to speak on this order. Welcome.

▶ 5:57 Speaker 4: Thank you. Good evening council members. So, um, after three months of negotiating good faith with the library union, a ratification vote was taken by the 14 members of the library union. In early August, we executed three years successor agreement with, um, Absec Council 93 local code 3 9 4 8. The agreement, uh, started July 3rd, 23 through June 28, 26. And order number 2024 dash one requested a council to, um, fund the economic items of the agreement for year one of the agreement in the amount of $44,410 Through The contract stabilization fund. I can go over the, what these economic items are 2% color for each year of the contract. One step, a step added to the salary schedule each year of the contract, which will be 2% higher than the the previous step. And the purpose of this is retention of senior staff as well as salary growth, increased longevity pay for years 10, 15, 20, and 25 to again, promote longevity in the department and achieve internal equity with other unions.

▶ 7:20 Speaker 4: Increase week and night differential pay in order to be competitive with the labor market and help us with attracting and retaining employees for this more difficult to feel, uh, shifts weekend and night shifts. So these are the four, um, economic items of the contract. And I can kind of go over briefly. Uh, the non-economic items. Uh, we clarified pay for library closures, uh, due to emergencies. We amended and clarified the extra time overtime language for the purposes of pay and distribution of such time, uh, added juneteenth to the list of holidays, amended the professional development language to give the director greater flexibility with schedules for these type of meetings. We made updates with the sick leave section to reflect practices that are followed by other unions and non-union employees and just, uh, achieve greater clarification. We,

▶ 8:26 Speaker 4: uh, updated the long overdue update of the grievance procedures to reflect more, uh, effective and streamlined processes. And, uh, lastly, we amended the classification schedule for greater clarity and consistency of the positions and titles. So these are the kind of the non-economic items of the contract, and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

▶ 8:51 Maya Jamaleddine: Thank you, Ms. Lata. Questions, uh, vice chair, Jamal, Dean. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Lara. Uh, how many, uh, position will be affected by this? Uh, 14. 14 total. And, uh, when would that be? I'm not sure if I missed it, but when would this exactly that be effective as

▶ 9:11 Speaker 4: The contract is effective this fiscal year? So July 3rd, 2023, and it's for three year term. So it goes through, uh, fiscal year 26, which is June 28th, 2026.

▶ 9:24 Maya Jamaleddine: And we won't have any retract like, like, uh, any past, uh, dates. It's just gonna start from, it's just

▶ 9:32 Speaker 4: Going forward. Yes.

▶ 9:33 Speaker 1: Okay. Thank you. Councillor Gepe.

▶ 9:38 Speaker 3: Thank you. Thank you for being here. Uh, couple quick questions.

▶ 9:40 Mark Garipay: On the 44,000 you're requesting, is that for the, um, payback to January 3rd, or is that what the impact on the budget for?

▶ 9:53 Speaker 3: So,

▶ 9:55 Speaker 4: Uh, yeah, go ahead. Yeah, I, um, so this is starting July 3rd, so payback through July 3rd and to cover the first year of the contract since when the budget was passed, it was only passed based on the known, uh, economic items. Um, so none of the ones I listed were included in the budget. So this will cover the difference.

▶ 10:18 Speaker 3: So it's safe to say it'll be in the library budget next year.

▶ 10:21 Mark Garipay: We should see 44,000 plus additional 2% next year,

▶ 10:29 Speaker 3: Right? Correct. Increase,

▶ 10:30 Speaker 4: Uh, I don't know if that's the exact number because we have employees going through step increases, so, but, um, this is for year one. Yeah.

▶ 10:38 Mark Garipay: And what's the financial impact of adding new steps? I see we're adding new steps. So what's the financial impact, um,

▶ 10:47 Speaker 3: to o over the last contract that we'll see in?

▶ 10:50 Speaker 4: I can, um, I don't have this, um, number, but I, I'll provide it to you.

▶ 10:56 Speaker 3: Please do. Mm-hmm. Thank you

▶ 10:59 Speaker 1: Councilor Williams.

▶ 11:01 Ryan Williams: Sure. Um, do you happen to know what's in that

▶ 11:05 Speaker 5: stabilization fund at the moment in terms of balances?

▶ 11:09 Speaker 4: I think that's a question for Patrick LaRusso. Yeah,

▶ 11:11 Ryan Williams: That's okay. I just wasn't sure if maybe you'd have the information off the top of your head. That would be a good thing for Patrick to put in these orders requesting money from the fund. Sure. Just so we can know that we're not bottoming it out, which I am pretty confident that we're not, but it's good to see it.

▶ 11:26 Speaker 4: Sure. We'll make sure he knows that. Yeah. Thank

▶ 11:29 Speaker 5: You. That's it for me. Thank you.

▶ 11:31 Speaker 1: Uh, anyone else for the first time? Vice Chair Aladin.

▶ 11:34 Maya Jamaleddine: Thank you. Um, one more question. Uh, how many, uh, employee would, uh, be left out of this increase, if there is any?

▶ 11:48 Speaker 4: Um, I'm not sure I understand.

▶ 11:49 Maya Jamaleddine: So we have 14 that would benefit from that increase, right? Yes. Do we have anyone that would not benefit from this increase? Who is employed at the library?

▶ 12:00 Speaker 4: 14 Are the union employees that are employed or union employees that are under this contract? Okay.

▶ 12:06 Maya Jamaleddine: How many are, how many employee are not union employee do we have at the library? Do we know?

▶ 12:14 Speaker 4: I, I, I can get that number for you. Well, we also have pages, kind of non benefit eligible employees. So I can I can get you that number of, yeah.

▶ 12:28 Speaker 1: Okay. Mm-hmm. Okay. Thank you. Mm-hmm. President Greg.

▶ 12:31 Jen Grigoraitis: Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for being here tonight. Um, I'm really pleased to see that we have an agreement with that is really not very retro at all. I'm happy that we were able to proactively come to an agreement. I did wanna echo Councilor Williams' request that going forward to see the fund balance, because we've now done a couple, um, of adjustments without seeing the, the drawdown that's occurring. And then I wanted to make a motion to recommend for passage. Second,

▶ 12:55 Speaker 1: Motion to recommend made by President Greg Gita, seconded by Councilor Eccles. All in, uh, call the roll, please. Um,

▶ 13:07 Speaker 3: Vice chair Jamal. Dean?

▶ 13:08 Speaker 6: Yes.

▶ 13:10 Speaker 3: Councillor Sun? Yes. Councillor Eccles? Yes. Councillor Repe. Yes. Councillor Williams? Yes. President gti? Yes. And Chair Elli? Yes. That's unanimous. Seven? Yes. Okay. This

▶ 13:23 Leila Migliorelli: Order will brought to the full council on our next meeting with a recommendation for passage. Thank you. Thank you. Next up is appropriation 2024 dash two and appropriation from the contract stabilization fund to the parking budget 2 9 6 for the executed lease between the city of Melrose and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston in the amount of $5,000. Don't believe we have anyone here to speak on this order tonight, but there was a memo sent, um, this afternoon that it is in the packet, um, from Catherine Armada. Um,