12-19-2006 Teamsters/City Reach Wage Agreement

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2 After negotiations ended, a team headed up by City Controller Catherine Fanello met with individual work groups to explain how the state law changes affected each one of their departments and the city as a whole. "The Teamsters asked good questions and were strong advocates for their organization," said Ms. Fanello. "They demonstrated the willingness to compromise,which is critical to successful collective bargaining. The Teamsters abandoned many of their bonus programs so that those dollars could be utilized to increase base wages." According to Gary Gilot, Public Works Director,the new agreement will help the City upgrade the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery to the citizens of South Bend, while improving the working environment for City employees. "We are constantly redesigning our procedures, re-tooling our process, retraining where needed, and reorganizing where necessary," said Mr. Gilot. `By anticipating and adapting to present and future needs we are more efficient in the use of our resources. The new agreement continues to provide financial incentives and opportunities for training and increasing the skills of the workforce." Janice Hall, Human Resources Director, stated her belief that as a service organization, "our people are our greatest assets." She acknowledged that there were a lot of unsung heroes who plow the streets or clean up after storms and keep the city running, and she was personally glad to see them work through the difficult issues presented in this particular negotiation. She praised their professionalism and creativity at the bargaining table. The consensus between City and Teamster officials was that the negotiations were conducted with the utmost professionalism. Mayor Luecke commented that both parties had differences but that they worked hard to get past those differences and to reach an agreement that was mutually beneficial. He was hopeful that the 2007 Legislative Session would bring about a brighter revenue future for South Bend than is projected at the current time. "With the economic incentives that remained in place for training, the citizens will continue to enjoy the benefits of receiving better, more effective and efficient services,"the Mayor said. "Strategically, we are spending public dollars wisely." - 30 -