02-08-99 Utilities - Laserfiche WebLink

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tommittss *sport Utilities Committee 10 the Common E ountil of the City of ffioutb 3Betttn The February 8, 1999 meeting of the Utilities Committee was called to order by its Chairperson,Council Member Rod Sniadecki at 4:50 p.m. in the Council informal meeting room. Persons in attendance included Council Members: Aranowski, Pfeifer, Kelly, King, Varner,Ujdak, and Sniadecki; James Szucs, Jeff Jankowski, Carl Littrell, Phil St. Clair, Lew Powell, Cathy Hubbard-Shead, Terry Bland, several Teamster members and stewards,and Kathleen Cekanski-Farrand. Council Member Sniadecki noted that the Committee meeting was called for informational purposes of receiving updates on the City's policies addressing wages for snow days and the use of vacation time. He noted that he sees the Common Council as a facilitator in these areas since the Administration sets the specific policies involved. Nevertheless, he noted that the Council plays a role with regard to advice and consent of such administrative policies. In light of the fairness issue raised by the Teamster members on these issues two (2) weeks ago, and the delivery of city services,he believed that additional information and updates were warranted. Mr. James Szucs, Business Agent for Teamsters Local Union No. 364, then presented the position of the Teamster employees who work for the city. He noted that several Teamsters were called on January 4, 1999,the first work day of the year,and were told not to report to work. The contract which took effect on January 1, 1999 and runs through December 31,2002,basically states that if a Teamster employee reports to work and is sent home that the city will pay that employee for two (2) hours. This language is new to the contract. As a result of the contractual language,he does not believe that the concerns of the Teamsters can be raised as a grievance since there is no contractual obligation. Mr. Szucs noted however that he believes that the real issue is one of"fairness",and could be raised as a complaint. He noted that in the past,hourly employees were paid a full day by the city when sent home due to weather. He further questioned by there was no accommodation for using a personal day, instead Teamsters were restricted to use a vacation day in order to get a 40-hour work week. He noted that most employees do not elect to use a vacation day on the first work day of the calendar year, especially when many Teamsters took additional precautions to report to work in a timely manner. Mr. Szucs further noted that when several Teamster employees inquired whether they would be paid for January 4th when they were called, that they were told it was a "snow day", and therefore assumed that it was a paid work day. Several Teamsters were told that they would be paid because of the city's past practice. Mr. Jeff Jankowski, Deputy City Attorney, stated that he was confused as to why these issues were before a Council Committee instead of the Board of Public Works. He noted that the Board approves the contract,not the Council. He further noted that no grievances have been filed over these issues. He stated that the Council has no jurisdiction in this area.