Text Box: Santa Maria's part-time municipal employees are joining the ranks of their full-time brethren by organizing as part of the Service Employees International Union Local 620.   The group of employees, who work 32 hours a week but are considered part-time, organized with the SEIU in April, officials said.  The City has 79 of these part-time positions, 57 of whom are financed through the City's General Fund.   The main goals of organization are health benefits, better salaries, and appeal rights, said Bruce Corsaw, an SEIU Representative.   “It's just not right to not at least afford them the basic salary and medical benefits,” Corsaw said, acknowledging that some of these positions may be changed to full-time status.   “There is a strong possibility they may become full-time if the City sees the benefit in that.  I don't think the City hires people to not treat them right - I believe the City will treat them right.”   “So far 46 employees are Members and the Union is still working on outreach to the rest,” Corsaw said. Officials are planning an agency shop election that

Text Box: could see all part-time employees covered as either a Member or a feepayer of the bargaining unit.   The specifics of the election are expected to be discussed at a July 14th meeting between City, State Mediation, and SEIU Officials, said Rick Haydon, Assistant City Manager.   Haydon is unsure how the new bargaining group will affect city finances because the two sides have not met to begin negotiations.  “Depending on what they end up with (health benefits or salary increases), that could be a significant cost to the City,” Haydon said. “We just adopted a budget and we had to use reserves in order to balance it.  We don't have an ongoing revenue stream to finance any added benefits.” The City used $39,000 in reserves to balance the $118.7 million 2006-07 budget. “I don't think it's fiscally prudent to use one-time reserves to pay for ongoing expenditures,” Haydon said, adding that that is how the State got into its budget mess. “Although the City may see added expenses as a result of the employee organization,” Haydon said, “the City

Text Box: would not look to taxes.  City officials pride themselves on Santa Maria's ability to operate without a utility users tax or parking fees.” “The City Council has made it very clear to us that they really don't want to look at any increases in taxes,” Haydon said. “They have directed staff to explore other options in order to continue to maintain service levels and not have to come back and ask for taxing authority.” Tina Frank, the SEIU Local 620 President said, “converting the part-time employees to full-time status would benefit the City because many of the employees work more than their 32 hours a week.” “We are hoping to make it an even playing field for employees,” she said. Those who attended a Union meeting seemed excited about the prospect of organizing and “having more leverage and more power and being joined with the other workers,” Frank added. The newly organized employees include workers in recreation and parks, the landfill, road maintenance, clerks and librarians. “The most common part-time employee is the labor III position,” Haydon said, (Continued on page 7)

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