HMB, labor units still negotiating contracts By MATT KAPKO Half Moon Bay Review October 27, 2004 Although a tentative agreement was reached between Half Moon Bay and three of its five labor groups two weeks ago, city negotiators made changes to the contract at the eleventh hour, effectively scuttling agreements reached in negotiations. Representatives from two of the labor groups say the changes were never discussed in the negotiations. Beyond that, the labor groups weren't informed of the modifications until Oct. 15 with the city's request for agreement later that day. The city planned to adopt the agreements at the City Council's Oct. 19 meeting, but the labor groups rejected the changed contract. City employees have been working without a contract for four months. The majority of the changes to the Police Officers Association contract were insignificant, but some of the changes could lead to considerable hardship, said Police Officer Dennis Loubal. The POA contract contained changes in medical coverage and the California Public Employees' Retirement System, he said. The changes in retirement benefits weren't glaring, he said, but there was still concern among the police officers. The tentative agreement that Loubal signed as the POA representative required the city to increase its financial contribution for full medical coverage to offset rising insurance costs, he said. But the city scrapped that portion from the revised contract it sent back, he said. Earlier this week, Loubal said he was told that the city would revise the contract to represent what was agreed to in the addendum - the result of the prolonged negotiations. "There were some differences in the language that we didn't agree to," said Associate Planner Sage Schaan, who's acting as the representative for the management team labor group. "There was a little bit of altered language," he said. The city's negotiator sent Schaan a new draft contract late Friday afternoon. "I have not had a chance to thoroughly go over it - I've looked at it briefly," he said, adding that he will be discussing the revisions with members of the management team labor group soon. Loubal admits that many of the changes seem "superficial," but none of them were addressed or agreed to in negotiations, he said. "Why do they wait 'til the eleventh hour to bring these up?" he asked. The tentative agreements were in an addendum form, but the city revised the entire Memorandum of Understanding with each labor group, he said. The irony, he said, is that the city argued against a long-term contract claiming time was too limited to revise the MOU. In the end, that's what the city did anyway. "There is a level of mistrust," Loubal said. City Manager Debra Ryan said the changes were her doing. She said some of the language in the tentative agreement was vague, so she revised it to be more specific. "We are working through just the final language ... to make it as clear as possible," she said. She said the contracts for Local 39, the management team labor group and the Police Officers Association would be ready for adoption by the City Council at its next regular meeting Nov. 2. The city will still have to work out an agreement with police management and unrepresented department heads. Home