Board of Aldermen 12-08-2020 Page 22
Now that is in effect been offered aside from the contract but it is not currently in the expired contract and
the veto would take it out of this contract. What would stay is the same situation vis-a-vis health plans as
had been for the last several years the case that it’s the choice between the HMO Plan, the POS Plan or
the High Deductible Plan. The cost of living adjustments or annual wage increases except for those that
are contingent on percentage of firefighters taking the high deductible plan; those wage increases would be
there. The firefighters would then have the option, the Union would have the option of accepting that
contract as is or going back and negotiating further. | believe the Mayor has indicated that if further
negotiations were to take place, he would find acceptable that additional 1% in exchange for the Union
accepting the plan that makes changes to the HMO co-pays and deductibles and puts into the contract the
incentive payments for the high deductible plan. So it’s possible that would be negotiated and the entire
wage increase would be realized. Long explanation, | hope I’ve made sense.
Alderman Schmidt
It helped thank you. Someone mentioned a sidebar agreement. Is that something that we could do without
having to veto this portion of the contract?
Attorney Bolton
No. But! don’t know exactly what it is you’re speaking of. What is often referred to as a sidebar
agreement, supplementary agreement, when you have a collective bargaining agreement in effect, but
circumstances arises where you want to deal with a smaller portion of the employer/employee relationship
by a separate usually much smaller and discreet agreement, that’s often called a sidebar. At this stage it is
possible for the Board of Aldermen to amend its Resolution approving the cost items. So you could
approve some of them, all of them, you could state your position that you approve some of them, others
you don’t approve of in their current form, but you would approve if they were altered in certain ways and
those ways would be what you all agreed on. And again, the Union would have the option of accepting that
or going back and continuing to negotiate.
Alderman Schmidt
So at this point, unless we delay this vote until two weeks from now, unless we delay this vote, it is stand
up for the veto or pass it as itis. Those are the only choices we have at this point. | can’t have any input
from the fire union that could tell me that they would be willing to negotiate something like that?
Attorney Bolton
It would be outside of the normal procedure of this Board but | suppose if the Board wanted to hear
something from those members of the Union or those Union Officials, which are here, that would be up to
the Board. As | said, you do have the option of making an amendment to the Resolution that you passed
and the Mayor vetoed in part. | agree with you or | think | agree with your sense that it would be difficult for
you to do that. | also think it’s sort of difficult to try to have the Board of Aldermen undertake negotiations
with the Fire Union in this forum.
Alderman Schmidt
Thank you.
President Wilshire
You're all set Alderman Schmidt?
