Hello PEA Members,
The Executive Board, our legal counsel and myself are trying to update you on what we know about the effects the pandemic is having on our City, Schools and jobs. The most accurate update is that things are changing daily and planning is continuous.
PEA initiated formal contact with the City nearly two weeks ago to demand answers for our members. The City responded with a voicemail at the end of the day March 12th stating that they were preparing answers to FAQs. The following day, on Friday the 13th, PEA sat in on the first conference call with City management where very little information was provided. Early the next week PEA returned to the City for clarification. In the evening before it occurred, Labor Relations notified PEA in a voicemail that the Park & Recreation department and Libraries would be closing facilities to public and employees. Nobody had any advanced warning of this.
The following day PEA sat in on a citywide teleconference where the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was discussed (for details of the MOA, refer to PEA’s March 19th posting on this website). The next day PEA received and reviewed the draft of the MOA, which included 1) 80 hours Emergency Pandemic Leave (EPL), 2) accrual rights during the use of such EPL and 3) extended Earned Safe & Sick Time with an equivalent of six (6) days of negative pay (not yet earned). Although it was not perfect, PEA’s Executive Board understood that by refusing to sign and stall for more coverage we would jeopardize the short-term benefits described above for all our City members. The vote to sign the MOA was unanimous. Every other union in the City also signed the MOA by this morning.
Matters are still being addressed for members in Parks and Libraries. PEA has requested a “meet and confer” with City Labor Relations and the City agreed. A date has not yet been established.
Thanks to School members and their patience. As of now, the Superintendent’s all-school teleconference laid out the Schools intention in the short term to keep the employees working as far as we know. Please contact PEA stewards if there are any separations from work for a PEA member. The Governor also put in a mandate that every school must have a distance-learning plan, provide food service availability and address daycare concerns. We will attempt to get more detail for School members in the next posting.
Thank you for your patience and we will continue to provide you updates as things continue to progress.
Be well and Stay Safe.
Regina Etoll
PEA PresidentÂ