The city begins its trimming of sick leave payouts at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, when three unions and Unit 99, which consists of the city’s top administrators, agree to end sick leave payouts for any employees hired on or after Sept. 30. This will be a negotiated battle that continues into next year with other labor unions, especially fire and police.
Also on the council agenda for Tuesday:
Taxi Drivers were taking meetings with almost all of San Jose’s councilmembers last month. A heated battle has been going on between the men and women—but mostly men—of taxi cab companies that chauffeur people fresh off planes. Taxi San Jose, the dispatch system for cab drivers at Mineta San Jose International Airport, has a contract set to expire at the end of this month. City staff recommends extending that agreement three years. Some of the cab companies (not Yellow Cab), however, prefer to have an RFP process.
Councilmember Pete Constant’s absence from the Aug. 28 council meeting—so he could attend the Republican National Convention—will be changed from excused to unexecused.
The council will approve the agreement that will install PBID security teams to patrol downtown.
The council will hear an update on Team San Jose’s performance as well as future projections. Despite having a great year for 2011-12, the future isn’t so sure. The Convention Center expects a huge dropoff in attendance because of the expansion and renovation—more than 260,000 people less. Combine that with the NHL owners likely beginning a lockout tomorrow, which could result in some if not all San Jose Sharks games being canceled, and San Jose could be in for a difficult economic year. City spokesman David Vossbrink told KQED a missed season could result in $200 million dropoff.
The council will likely modify when the public will be notified of future public hearings.
The council will approve a payback agreement between the city and county to pave roads that used to be unincorporated.
Click to see the City Council Agenda for September 18, 2012.
“Councilmember Pete Constant’s absence from the Aug. 28 council meeting—so he could attend the Republican National Convention—will be changed from excused to unexecused.” – So that’s it??? Retroactively unexcused, just like that. Never mind it was while he was on sick leave. It’s Pete after all. He who bows at the alter of Chuck and Deb. If it were your average grunt this would be time sheet fraud, but not Pete. What hypocrisy and double standards.
observation,
Do not be surprised. The city has double standards for many privileged employees. Look at the questionable doings of guys like P.O. and Pete, nothing happens to them. You take an average working guy and he gets disciplined and even terminated. When you read about people being terminated for stuff like sexual harassment and then that person’s union fighting the termination it is because the union is fighting against the city NOT following the city’s own policy and procedures for discipline. Unions are not fighting because they believe the issue was minor they are fighting for procedure. There is always a second part to every story and the Merc very rarely writes the whole story.
Any other City Employee would be fired for Fraud . But I guess its real hard to separate Pete from Reed .
I am hoping this means that they intend to honor all previously negotiated contracts on sick leave payouts for current employees. Sick leave payout is not a vested benefit and therefore does not have to be paid by the City when an employee retires…UNLESS it was negotiated in a contract, which it was. They would be doing the correct thing if they honor the current employees sick leave payouts and then discontinue it for future employees. It will save them a lot of lawsuits.
WOW, big move there. Three unions and Unit 99, let me guess Figone is part of Unit 99, will no longer have sick leave pay outs for new employees. I bet the city still goes after sick leave payouts for current workers from certain other unions who gave up pay increases in the past to have the payouts. Time will tell. I guarantee Figone will get her payout before she goes after the others.
I think it is so unfair of them to allow some unions to retain their sick leave pay outs and then take it from others. They need to start working toward bringing everybody toward and even keel. Maybe then things won’t be so chaotic. They reduced the salary of all unions by 10%, except two. Two unions salaries were reduced by a smidgeon over 12%. How fair is that? Why did those two unions lose over 12% of their salaries when all other unions lost only 10%? Be fair to all of the employees, not just some.
And this is exactly why the Mayor got a ticket. More elitist self serving policies that punish others but never hold themselves accountable..
Let the problems continue. Family guy Pete Constant is next!
why is it that the mayor can lie about 650million, pete can change his time sheet when he is caught lying about it, and PLO can get away with stealing without any consequences?