Important MEA Labor Contract Update: City and MEA Agree That Employees in Some Police Department Job Classifications May “Opt-in” to the Mandatory Furlough Program
The City and MEA have agreed that employees in some Police Department job classifications may “opt-in” to the mandatory furlough program. By opting-in, these employees will take the 1.92% pay reduction over 26 pay periods in exchange for a general salary increase, have 40 hours of furlough added to their leave bank and keep their 24 hours of discretionary leave. By not opting-in (or by inaction), these employees will remain with what was described in the original tentative agreement: they will still receive the general salary increase but remain exempt from mandatory furlough (and not have their pay reduced 1.92%) but they will forfeit their 24 hours of discretionary leave.
On April 7th, MEA announced a Tentative Agreement with the City for a new three-year MOU to include general salary increases in each year for all MEA-represented employees and a mandatory 40-hour furlough during each of the first two years for most MEA-represented job classifications. Because of operational/public safety considerations, MEA and the City agreed that employees in certain job classifications would be exempt from the mandatory furlough obligation but would instead forfeit their 24 hours of discretionary leave during the first two years of the agreement as their “participation” in the budget-driven sacrifices needed to offset the general salary increases.
MEA received feedback from some employees in the exempted job classifications that they would have actually preferred to take the mandatory furlough with the corresponding pay-cut each payday but have the additional unpaid time-off and keep their discretionary leave. The feedback from other employees was the opposite and they were happy with the result and grateful to be exempted from the mandatory furlough!
Faced with these competing viewpoints, MEA initiated a discussion with the City and the Police Department about the potential to provide employees in some furlough-exempted classifications with a choice. This notion of choosing mandatory furlough would only make sense if the otherwise exempted employee’s job classification does not actually involve 24-hour staffing requirements where there is no requirement to backfill an absence due to furlough hours on an overtime basis. Where overtime is needed, the cost-savings objective of having a mandatory furlough is entirely defeated.
MEA is very grateful to the City and the Police Department for constructively engaging with us on this issue and for supporting an outcome that gives each employee in certain job classifications otherwise exempted from furlough a choice – i.e., stay exempted from mandatory furlough or opt-in.
This outcome is GOOD NEWS no matter which preference you expressed – and thank you to all who contacted MEA to offer your viewpoint. If you are happy with the exemption status quo (no 40-hour mandatory furlough, no corresponding 40-hour pay deduction, but also no 24-hours of discretionary leave), then this outcome is yours!
If, on the other hand, you would actually prefer to have mandatory furlough because you would welcome the opportunity to have 40 hours more of leave (via the mandatory furlough) even if you have to pay for it with a 1.92% pay deduction throughout the year — and also keep your 24 hours of discretionary leave, then this outcome is yours by opting-IN to mandatory furlough on a timely basis as explained below.
In the coming weeks you will receive a communication from your management giving you the opportunity to opt-in to mandatory furlough for the fiscal year beginning on July 1st. You will have to make this decision before June 15th and your decision is irrevocable for the next fiscal year. If you fail to respond, you will remain exempt – meaning you will not participate in the mandatory furlough and you will not have access to 24 hours of discretionary leave for the applicable fiscal year. Then you will make this decision again next year (beginning July 1, 2027) – either making the same decision to opt-in or instead remain exempt.
No matter whether you choose to remain exempt or instead to opt-in to mandatory furlough in each of the first two years of this new contract, in the third year (beginning July 1, 2028) ALL employees will again 1) have access to their 24 hours of discretionary leave and 2) there will be no furlough.
The job classifications that will have a choice to opt-in to mandatory furlough are as follows: Crime Scene Specialist I, II, III and Supervising; Criminalist I, II, III and Supervising; Criminalist I, II and Supervising (DNA); DNA Technical Manager; Latent Print Examiner I, II, III, Aide and Supervising; Parking Enforcement Officer I, II, Trainee, Supervisor and Senior Supervisor; Police Investigative Service Officer I, II; Police Property and Evidence Specialist, Lead Specialist, Supervisor and Senior Supervisor; Police Records Clerk, Senior Clerk, Data Specialist, Senior Data Specialist, Data Specialist Supervisor, Senior and Principal; Police Service Officer I, II; Polygrapher I, II, III and Supervising; and Special Event Traffic Controller I, II and Supervisor.
More information will be coming soon from your management about the logistics of making a timely choice as described above. In the meantime, and as always, don’t hesitate to contact MEA if you have any questions or feedback at info@sdmea.org or 619-264-6632.
