The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About10/04/2022 12. Ordinance amending the City of Yakima Municipal Code Chapter 2.24.010 Longevity Plan (non-represented employees) 1 s F` ,1„11„4\ 4.. igikiiiiii),.... \L):.... ) BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL YAKIMA, WASHINGTON AGENDA STATEMENT Item No. 12. For Meeting of: October 4, 2022 ITEM TITLE: Ordinance amending the City of Yakima Municipal Code Chapter 2.24.010 Longevity Plan (non-represented employees) SUBMITTED BY: Robert Harrison, City Manager SUMMARY EXPLANATION: Reestablishment of longevity pay benefits and 3% deferred compensation for non-represented employees has been recognized as a competitive necessity to increase the City's ability to attract and retain experienced management employees. This recognition has been coming slowly over the last decade, but has accelerated dramatically since 2020 with global changes in workforce availability. The recruitment and retention of qualified employees has become increasingly difficult across all fields and employers, and it has been especially challenging to attract and retain highly specialized, experienced employees. Many of these technical, professional, supervisory and/or management positions are not covered by collective bargaining groups; and therefore, fall into the "non-represented" employee group within the City of Yakima. The City's wage and compensation packages have progressively fallen behind compared to other comparable agencies, resulting now in substantial hiring challenges. Many advanced recruitments have been unsuccessful or produced extremely limited candidates. This combined with employers offering opportunities for 100% remote work, has increased our competition and further harming the City's recruitment and retention efforts. Compression issues between the non- represented group and those they supervise have also become significant, negatively impacting employee morale and retention. Currently, employees hired after 2012 are not provided the same benefit package as their peers who were hired prior to 2012 causing a contentious split within the same group. This causes both discontent and conflicts with the Yakima City Charter, which outlines the tenets of"equal work for equal pay." Also, due to the compression issues created by PACA (pay and adjustment compensation) being cancelled over the years, some of the management team receive total compensation packages that values less than those of their subordinates who are in represented groups. Realigning the benefit packages to ensure all members of the non-represented group receive equivalent benefits will not only improve employee equity, moral and most importantly, retention; but, it will also enable the City to be far more competitive with other employers when trying to attract experienced candidates to accept hard-to-fill positions. This change will currently 2 impact nine individuals with an associated cost of approximately$26,500 in 2023. ITEM BUDGETED: Yes STRATEGIC PRIORITY: APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL BY THE CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION: Pass ordinance ATTACHMENTS: Description Upload Date Type D ord redline 9/16/2022 Cotter Memo D ord clean 9/16/2022 Cotter Memo 3 ORDINANCE NO. 2022- AN ORDINANCE amending the City of Yakima Municipal Code Chapter 2.24.010 Longevity plan—Eligibility--Restrictions WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Yakima finds it is in the best interests of the City and its residents to amend Chapter 2.24.010 regarding the longevity plan for management group employees; now, therefore, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF YAKIMA: Section 1. Chapter 2.24.010 of the City of Yakima Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows: 2.24.010 Longevity plan—Eligibility—Restrictions. A. For all employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the city shall provide longevity pay in the amount required in the applicable collective bargaining agreement for which this benefit has been included. B. All management employees shall receive longevity pay, in addition to their regular salary, according to the following schedule, to be paid on the first applicable day following the thirty-first day of December and the thirtieth day of June of each year. Municipal judges shall not receive longevity pay. Years of Percent of Base Service Pay 5 2.5 10 4.0 15 5.5 20 7.0 24 10.0 Effective December 9, 2012 (or as individually negotiated between the city and prospective employees prior to the date of this amendment), newly hired employees of the management group shall not receive longevity pay. C. Upon termination of employment of anyone entitled to longevity pay, except upon the seasonal termination of seasonal employees, such person shall receive a longevity payment, according to the above schedule, for the number of months of eligibility served by such employee from the date on which the immediately previous longevity payment was made. Such payment shall not be made for fractions of a month, and if termination of employment occurs on or before the fifteenth day of any month, that month shall not be counted as one for which longevity pay is to be made, and if termination of employment occurs after the fifteenth day of any month, that month shall be counted as one full month for which longevity pay is to be made. 4 D. No longevity pay shall be paid to any employee who is discharged from employment for disciplinary reasons, or who terminates his employment without giving at least two weeks' notice in writing of such termination. E. Employees covered by the Washington State Law Enforcement Officers' and Firefighters' Retirement System who terminate their employment after disability leave and placed on disability retirement shall receive longevity pay for the period of disability leave as provided in Chapter 41.26 of the Revised Code of Washington. (Ord. 2014-023 §5 (part), 2014; Ord. 2021-41 § 1, 2012; Ord. 2005-85 § 2, 2005; Ord. 2001-63 § 1, 2001; Ord. 95-16 § 1, 1995; Ord. 94-83 § 5, 1994; Ord. 3403 § 5, 1991; Ord. 2384 § 1, 1980; Ord. 2275 § 2, 1979; Ord. 2265 § 3, 1979; Ord. 2153 § 4, 1978; Ord. 2051 § 2, 1977; Ord. 1910 § 1, 1976; Ord. 1474 § 2, 1972; Ord. 748, 1965; Ord. 583 § 2, 1964; Ord. 85 § 1, 1960). Section 2. This ordinance shall be in full force and effect January 1, 2023, after its passage, approval, and publication as provided by law and by the City Charter. PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL, signed and approved this_day of_, 2022. ATTEST: Janice Deccio, Mayor Sonya Clear Tee, City Clerk Publication Date: Effective Date: 5 ORDINANCE NO. 2022- AN ORDINANCE amending the City of Yakima Municipal Code Chapter 2.24.010 Longevity plan—Eligibility--Restrictions WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Yakima finds it is in the best interests of the City and its residents to amend Chapter 2.24.010 regarding the longevity plan for management group employees; now, therefore, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF YAKIMA: Section 1. Chapter 2.24.010 of the City of Yakima Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows: 2.24.010 Longevity plan—Eligibility—Restrictions. A. For all employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the city shall provide longevity pay in the amount required in the applicable collective bargaining agreement for which this benefit has been included. B. All management employees shall receive longevity pay, in addition to their regular salary, according to the following schedule, to be paid on the first applicable day following the thirty-first day of December and the thirtieth day of June of each year. Municipal judges shall not receive longevity pay. Years of Percent of Base Service Pay 5 2.5 10 4.0 15 5.5 20 7.0 24 10.0 C. Upon termination of employment of anyone entitled to longevity pay, except upon the seasonal termination of seasonal employees, such person shall receive a longevity payment, according to the above schedule, for the number of months of eligibility served by such employee from the date on which the immediately previous longevity payment was made. Such payment shall not be made for fractions of a month, and if termination of employment occurs on or before the fifteenth day of any month, that month shall not be counted as one for which longevity pay is to be made, and if termination of employment occurs after the fifteenth day of any month, that month shall be counted as one full month for which longevity pay is to be made. D. No longevity pay shall be paid to any employee who is discharged from employment for disciplinary reasons, or who terminates his employment without giving at least two weeks' notice in writing of such termination. 6 E. Employees covered by the Washington State Law Enforcement Officers' and Firefighters' Retirement System who terminate their employment after disability leave and placed on disability retirement shall receive longevity pay for the period of disability leave as provided in Chapter 41.26 of the Revised Code of Washington. (Ord. 2014-023 §5 (part), 2014; Ord. 2021-41 § 1, 2012; Ord. 2005-85 § 2, 2005; Ord. 2001-63 § 1, 2001; Ord. 95-16 § 1, 1995; Ord. 94-83 § 5, 1994; Ord. 3403 § 5, 1991; Ord. 2384 § 1, 1980; Ord. 2275 § 2, 1979; Ord. 2265 § 3, 1979; Ord. 2153 § 4, 1978; Ord. 2051 § 2, 1977; Ord. 1910 § 1, 1976; Ord. 1474 § 2, 1972; Ord. 748, 1965; Ord. 583 § 2, 1964; Ord. 85 § 1, 1960). Section 2. This ordinance shall be in full force and effect January 1 , 2023, after its passage, approval, and publication as provided by law and by the City Charter. PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL, signed and approved this_ day of_, 2022. ATTEST: Janice Deccio, Mayor Sonya Clear Tee, City Clerk Publication Date: Effective Date: