TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Sheryl Bratton, County Counsel and Christine Briceño, Director of Human Resources
REPORT BY: Susan Altman, Deputy County Counsel
SUBJECT: Agreement with Sloan, Sakai, Young & Wong, LLP
RECOMMENDATION
title
County Counsel and Director of Human Resources request approval and authorization for the Chair to sign Agreement No. 240172B with Sloan, Sakai, Young & Wong (“SSYW”) for labor negotiation and employment law services, for a maximum of $150,000 per fiscal year, with an initial term of September 26, 2023 through June 30, 2024, with the possibility of an automatic renewal at the end of each fiscal year.
body
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
SEIU Local 1021 (SEIU) represents a majority of the County’s employees. These employees are divided into two bargaining units - Public Services Employee Unit (PSE) and Public Services Employee Supervisory Unit (PSE Supervisory). The current labor contracts with these bargaining units will expire on June 30, 2024. The law firm of Sloan, Sakai, Young & Wong was selected to assist the County throughout these negotiations and with negotiations in future fiscal years with the other unions.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
|
Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
|
Is it currently budgeted? |
Yes |
|
Where is it budgeted? |
Human Resources |
|
Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
|
Discretionary Justification: |
The current labor contracts will expire on June 30, 2024. Preparation for negotiations will begin in January 2024 in order to successfully complete negotiations by June 30, 2024. Napa County used another outside negotiator for the PSE and PSA Supervisory bargaining units for the current agreements and the results were very good. The major justification for using an outside negotiator again during this round of negotiations is tho separate the contentiousness that surrounds bargaining from the day-to-day collaborative role that is played by the Director of Human Resources. |
|
Is the general fund affected? |
Yes |
|
Future fiscal impact: |
Funding will be budgeted each year, if necessary, in the Human Resources budget. |
|
Consequences if not approved: |
If the proposed agreement is not approved, the Director of Human Resources would be required to prepare for and conduct labor negotiations. This would delay work on new initiatives and other critical projects facing Napa County Human Resources. |
|
County Strategic Plan pillar addressed: |
Effective and Open Government |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
SEIU Local 1021 (SEIU) represents a majority of the County's employees. These employees are divided into two bargaining units - Public Services Employee Unit (PSE) and Public Services Employee Supervisory Unit (PSE Supervisory). The current labor contracts with these bargaining units will expire on June 30, 2024. The law firm Sloan, Sakai, Young & Wong was selected to assist the County throughout the negotiations. Napa County previously used another outside negotiator for the PSE and PSE Supervisory bargaining units. The results were very good. The major justification for using an outside negotiator again during this round of negotiations is to separate the contentiousness that surrounds bargaining from the day-to-day collaborative role that is played by the Human Resources Director. Sloan, Sakai, Young & Wong was selected because staff has received recommendations from other counties who have previously worked with the firm with positive results, which justifies the sole sourcing for the agreement. Upon approval of the agreement, the firm's primary role will be to assist the County in developing a master bargaining strategy, conducting negotiations, and communicating with County management and the Board of Supervisors. The County will actively participate in the negotiations process by designating a negotiations coordinator and will provide individuals to be members of the management bargaining team. Preparation for negotiations will begin in January 2024 in order to successfully complete negotiations by June 30, 2024.
If the proposed agreement is not approved, the Human Resources Director would be required to prepare for and conduct labor negotiations. This would delay work on new initiatives and other critical projects facing Napa County Human Resources. Therefore, Human Resources Director requests approval of and authorization for the Chair to sign an agreement with Sloan, Sakai, Young & Wong for a maximum of $150,000 to provide labor negotiations services during negotiations between the County and the PSE and the labor unions.