TITLE
Recommendation to approve referral to the Charter Amendment Committee for placement on the April 13, 2010 ballot, a Charter Amendment ("Public Pay Bargaining Sunshine Requirements") that will require the City Council to adopt procedures similar to Government Code Section 3547 and Government Code Section 3547.5 which open the collective bargaining process to public review and which require the disclosure of the full costs of the contracts and certification that all costs of the contracts can be met during the terms of such contracts.
DISCUSSION
Sunshine and Fiscal Certification Requirements
The public is demanding more transparency in the collective bargaining process utilized by the City of Long Beach to negotiate wages, benefits and working conditions with its public employees and for reassurance that when the City enters into a collective bargaining agreement that the costs of the contract can be met by the City during the term of the agreement.
Currently, state law requires that the collective bargaining process for state employees, employees in higher education and employees in school districts provide for the "sunshining" of initial proposals for negotiaHons, including reopeners as well as proposals that arise later in the course of bargaining. The laws also require a delay after the proposals are presented at a public meeting to allow the public to become informed and provide input regarding the proposals. Additionally, in the case of schools districts, the Superintendent must disclose the costs of the contract and certify that the costs of the contract can be met by the school district during the term of the agreement.
Government Code Section 3547 provides:
(a) All initial proposals of exclusive representatives and of public school employers, which relate to matters within the scope of representation, shall be presented at a public meeting of the public school employer and thereafter shall be public records.(b) Meeting and negotiating shall not...
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