After much anticipation, Federated Unions — including Local 21 — met for the first time on August 31 with the City of San Jose for Measure B settlement talks. All participants expressed the hope and desire to see a quick settlement and to put the illegal pension reform Measure B litigation behind us. It is time to turn the page on this unfortunate chapter in the City’s history.
The City opened up the talks, expressing their hope that a settlement could be reached by Federated Unions using a framework similar to the City’s agreement recently reached with the police officer and firefighters’ unions. The City then formally passed a proposal to Federated Unions.
As previously discussed, the basic outlines of the agreement we are seeking to establish includes a new, competitive Tier 2 pension benefit for newer hires to replace Measure B’s Tier 2. This tier would be modeled after the state’s own 2013 pension reform act (PEPRA). On retiree healthcare, we are seeking to provide multiple options for coverage that maintain the benefits we already have, while lowering costs for both sides, the employees and the City.
We’ll keep you updated!
