To City PEA Members:
PEA is striving to get you accurate, timely information so as to provide a bit of certainty in these very uncertain circumstances. There remain a lot of details and unanswered questions, but from today’s conference call between City Management and approximately 25 unions here is what we’ve learned.
The City leaders are mindful of what steps the Governor’s administration has taken and they’ve also followed a timeline and approach that Ramsey County has invoked. Nevertheless, the City is dramatically different in that the workforce payroll takes up a very significant portion of the City’s available budget, unlike the State.
But Deputy Mayor Jaime Tincher repeated the City leaders’ desire to keep as much of our workforce working as possible. They also want to partner with the unions and their members in a collaborative approach to face these challenges ahead.
Over the next month we can expect matters affecting your earnings to follow this:
- Starting March 18th (yesterday) up to March 28th, which ends this payroll period, employees who are unable to work can use any accrued leave for compensation. This would include comp time, sick time and vacation time. Perhaps in that order is best, but every employee’s situation may differ.
- If during this time frame you are without any accrued leave, the employee is allowed to use up to 80 hours of Earned Safe & Sick Time (ESST). If that is unavailable, employees can go “in the negative” against future ESST accrual.
- On March 28th the City will make available 80 hours of Emergency Paid Pandemic Leave for that payroll period (2 weeks). Prorated for part-timers.
- On April 4th, City officials will make layoff decisions and notices will be sent according to the needs and capabilities of the City.
- On April 11th, the Paid Pandemic Leave amounts will be exhausted, but employees with accrued leave remaining may use that.
- On April 18th, if the layoff decisions are still necessary, they will take effect.
Social distancing will remain a constant in anything and everything our members are asked to do. Flexibility and cooperation are paramount over the next month. The City is looking at reassignments, partnering with the St. Paul schools to meet their demands and other creative approaches to keep operations moving – safely.
The City leadership and Human Resources is concerned about the flood of questions expected. Please consider contacting your PEA steward or PEA leadership with your questions. We will try to get unified answers that can be shared broadly.
Regina Etoll
PEA President