Memorandum

City of Lawrence

City Manager’s Office

TO:	David L. Corliss, City Manager
FROM:	Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager
CC:	Cynthia Boecker, Assistant City Manager
Date:	December 31, 2008
RE:	Proposed Changes to Resolution Recognizing Employee Organizations

Please add the following item to the Regular Agenda for January 13, 2009:

Proposed Changes to Resolution Recognizing Employee Organizations

Background:  During the process of discussing the 2009 Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with the Lawrence Police Officers Association and the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1596, the City agreed to discuss possible changes to Resolution 6690, the City’s resolution that sets forth how the City will formally interact with recognized employee organizations. 

City staff held a discussion with the LPOA and IAFF in early November.  The item of focus was the timeline of discussions and its relation to the budget calendar.  Resolution 6690 currently indicates that the City and the employee groups will commence discussions on May 20.  There was concern that waiting until May 20 to discuss all items related to a MOU compressed the timeframe too close to the date to adopt the annual budget.  As a result of the meeting with the employee groups, the LPOA, IAFF and City staff recommend to the City Commission the following changes to Resolution 6690:

• Moving the date up to April 15 from May 15 that the employee organization needs to provide the City with a letter outlining issues for discussion. This would allow for earlier discussion of items.
• Moving up the date to commence initial discussions with the employee group to April 20 from May 20.
• Moving up the impasse date from August 1 to July 1.  This would require the parties declare impasse on any items not settled through tentative agreement by July 1.   

Attached is a draft showing the changes in the resolution related to timeframes, along with a clean version. 

Staff believes that the changes in the timeframes will be responsive to the concerns of the employee groups, but retain the flexibility needed by the City during the budget process.

An additional item of discussion with the IAFF Local 1596 was their desire to modify Resolution 6690 to allow covering Fire Captains in the bargaining unit.  City staff indicated to Local 1596 that it would not recommend a change in the resolution allowing Fire Captains to be covered because Fire Captains are management staff positions. 

Action Requested:  Adopt Resolution 6817 changing the timeframes for initializing discussions with the City’s recognized employee groups.