An Update from Human Resources Image

County Labor Relations Update - June 2023

Author: Human Resources
Date: 6/21/2023 11:23:54 AM

This summer’s Labor Relations quarterly update is full of important information, including July wage increases, paid County holidays, and pension rate changes. Please check out our website for additional resources!

Scheduled Wage Increases for July

The following employee associations and unrepresented bargaining units (BU) will receive wage increases effective June 25th*:

  • District Attorney Investigators’ Assocaition (BU06) - 2.5% Across the Board Increase
  • Deputy County Counsel Association (BU12) - 2.5% Across the Board Increase
  • San Luis Obispo County Employees’ Association (BU01, 02, 05, & 13) – 3.0% Across the Board Increase
  • San Luis Obispo County Probation Peace Officers’ Association (BU31 & 32) - 1.5% Across the Board Increase
  • San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Managers’ Association (BU15) – 2.5% Across the Board Increase
  • Unrepresented (BU07, 08, 09, 10, 11 & 16) – 2.5% Across the Board Increase

Impacted employees will see these increases on the July 14th paycheck. If you are in one of these BUs, please review your remuneration statement for that paycheck to ensure your increase was implemented accurately. For additional information, please review the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for your employee association.

*The increases were set to begin the start of the pay period including July 1. June 25 is the start of the pay period in which July 1 falls.

Mark Your Calendars! Native American Day Approved to Replace Columbus Day as a Paid County Holiday

The Board of Supervisors recently approved the addition of Native American Day as a paid County holiday and the elimination of Columbus Day as a paid holiday. Native American Day falls on the fourth Friday in September, and for this year will be on September 22.

The California Superior Courts removed Columbus Day (the second Monday in October) as a paid holiday in 2022. As a result, the District Attorney’s Office had to remain open on Columbus Day and County staff in several other departments who provide services to the Courts were required to work on the Columbus Day holiday last year. This holiday change eliminates these issues.

This change applies to all County employees, so make sure to mark your calendars for this September! The remaining paid County holidays for the 2023 calendar year include the following: 

In addition, the Board of Supervisors approved changes to allow employees on their initial probationary period to utilize personal leave, as well as to include library employees as eligible participants in the Annual Leave program. These changes are effective the pay period including July 1, 2023. For additional information, review the agenda items from the recent Board of Supervisors meeting.

Pension Rate Changes effective July 1st

To ensure the trust is appropriately funded, the SLO County Pension Trust (SLOCPT) regularly conducts an actuarial valuation to determine if any adjustments need to be made to contribution rates to ensure funding sufficient to pay pension benefits to retirees. With the most recent actuarial valuation conducted in January 2022, it was determined that pension rate increases were necessary. The adjusted rate increase amounts can vary depending on the pension category (Miscellaneous, Safety, or Probation) and tier (Tier 1, 2, or 3).

Did you know that the pension system is funded by both County and employee monthly contributions? While the County pays the majority of the pension contributions, the standard or default split between employer and employee for absorbing the cost of contribution increases is 50/50.Your employee association may have agreed to special rate increase sharing provisions for its current contract or agreement, like a holiday or cap, to help offset the impacts of annual pension rate changes. A pension holiday means the County is paying for all of any pension rate increases employees would normally receive. A pension cap means employees will pay up to and no more than an agreed upon percentage increase, and the County will pay the remainder of the increase.

To see how your employee pension rate may have been impacted, you can review the pension rate changes effective July 1, 2023 in the below table:

For additional information regarding your employee association’s pension adjustments, review the article regarding pension in your respective MOU, or the agenda item from the recent Board meeting approving these changes.

Bargaining with the San Luis Obispo Prosecutors’ Association (SLOPA) Continues

The County and SLOPA, representing Deputy District Attorneys, continue to meet and bargain in good faith for a successor MOU. The parties have met a total of three times and have covered a lot of ground in only a few meetings, discussing wages, pension, health benefits, and more. The County has presented two proposals since the first meeting, and SLOPA has presented one proposal so far. The next bargaining session is scheduled for June 23rd.

For more information about the bargaining process, check out the Lifecycle of Labor Bargaining infogram! 

Take the SLO County Pension Trust (SLOCPT) Survey and Check out ”The Fiduciary” SLOCPT Newsletter

The Pension Trust is conducting a survey of its active members (those currently employed) and its retirees, and would greatly appreciate employees’ feedback. Visit the link here and respond to the 2023 SLOCPT Survey of Active Members.

Want to learn more about the pension system and gain important insights on retirement? Check out the most recent edition of SLOCPT’s newsletter “the Fiduciary” at the link here.     

We want to help County staff stay informed and educated on the state of employee and labor relations here at the County – we hope to keep you engaged as we continue to release updates in future months.