The Association of Chula Vista Employees, the city’s largest employee union, has agreed on a labor contract with the city of Chula Vista that runs through June 30, 2020.
Under the accord, about 375 employees will receive a two-percent wage increase each year starting in the first full pay period of July 2018, and a one-time $750 stipend on Jan. 11.
However, this year city employees will pay one percent more into the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, the state’s retirement and health plan for school and public agency members.
In the second year of the contract they will pay another one percent into the fund and the third year they will pay up to another one percent.
The contract states that employees have to pay half of their CalPers contribution.
Kim Vander Bie, an associate planner for the city and an ACE board member who sat on the negotiating team, said a pay raise helps but it does not offset other factors.
“After several months of negotiations, it will finally be nice to get a little bump in our paychecks,” Vander Bie said. “But it is not enough to keep up with inflation, especially since we are increasing our contribution to CalPers.”
Cash options in lieu of health benefits will also be reduced for employees. In their previous contract, if employees choose not to spend the entire flex amount that the city gives them for health benefits, employees may cash out or keep the amount of cash left over.
But with the new contract, the city is reducing the amount of leftover money they may cashout.
The contract is retaining a fourth floating holiday, which was also included in the previous two contracts. Floating holidays equate to eight hours of vacation which must be used in the fiscal year issued or will be lost.
Chula Vista’s Director of Human Resources Courtney Chase said the agreement is fair to both parties.
“During the past several months, negotiating teams representing ACE and the city have worked collaboratively toward the development of a mutually benefitted Memorandum of understanding,” she said in an email. “Agreement was reached on the term of the MOU, salary adjustments and the reduction and elimination of taxable cash options in lieu of health benefits dependent on hire date. The city council approved the MOU on Dec.12, 2017.”
This is the first official contract for ACE. Previously, city employees were represented by the Service Employees International Union but after a tumultuous relationship, employees last year voted to decertify from SEIU and form its own union called the Association of Chula Vista Employees.
ACE represents the city’s civilian public employees, including dispatchers, forensic specialist; librarians; secretaries; parks and recreation employees; planners; building inspectors and an array of other titles.
