The City of Sparks, Nevada, enters into labor agreements with its various bargaining units, and resolutions with groups not covered under bargaining units.  The Confidential Employee Resolution is for employees whose jobs include duties considered confidential under NRS 288 laws.  It must be separate from the Operating Engineers Local No. 3 Non-Supervisory contract, but at the same time mirror those contract terms. The City of Sparks (City) submits a one year resolution covering July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018. The resolution proposed reflects corresponding changes in the Operating Engineers Local No. 3 Non-Supervisory bargaining unit proposed contract changes. The City recommends ratification/approval of the proposed resolution by council.

Following is a summary of the proposed changes to the resolution.  Also attached to this report are a strike out, the final version of the proposed agreement and a financial impact statement.

Summary of Changes:

Section 1: Administration, Article D: Duration of the Agreement.   This section was changed to reflect the new resolution period of July 1, 2017 thru June 30, 2018.  There is no direct cost related to this resolution change.

Section 2: Pay, Article A: Pay Rates.  Operating Engineers Local No. 3 Non-Supervisory and the City negotiating team have agreed to a two percent (2%) Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) retroactive to the first full pay period after July 1, 2017 for their contract.  The same COLA is recommended for this resolution.  The financial impact of the COLA is an estimated $7,000 each year beginning fiscal year 2018 in the General Fund.

Section 2: Pay, Article G:  Stand by Pay It was discovered that this section was inadvertently struck by an administrative error in the last version, but there was no intent by the City to remove the provisions.  Therefore, the language is restored.  There is no financial impact because the pay practice remained in place.  The only change from previous language is that the word “deemed” is replaced with “assigned”.  This resolution language change is for clarification purposes only and has no financial impact.

Section 3: Benefits, Article D Tuition Reimbursement. This section reflects an increase in the tuition reimbursement from $1,500 to $1,800.  The range of minimum to maximum financial impact of this increase is estimated at $0 if no one uses the benefit and $1,200 per year beginning in fiscal year 2018 if all employees covered under the resolution received the maximum reimbursement.  However, a more realistic financial impact estimate based upon historical utilization of the benefit is an estimate of $350.00 per fiscal year.

Section 4: Leave Benefits, Article B Annual Leave.  The modification in this article allows employees in this group to take annual leave in any increment.  There is no financial impact to this change.  

Section 4: Leave Benefits, Article C Sick Leave.  The modification in this article allows employees in this group to take sick leave in any increment.  There is no financial impact to this change.  

Section 4: Leave Benefits, Article D Sick Leave Bank.  This section has been changed to reflect that the sick leave bank to be accessed by the Confidential Employees in the resolution must be the pooled sick leave bank of the City resolution groups.  The contract with the bargaining units doesn’t include employees covered under resolutions.  There is no financial impact to the City.

1. The Council may choose to approve the proposed resolution as outlined by staff.
2. The Council may choose not to approve the proposed resolution as outlined by staff.
3. The Council may choose not to approve the proposed resolution as outlined by the staff and the City Manager toward another alternative.

I move to approve the Resolution between the City of Sparks and the Confidential Employees for the period of July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018.