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Home My WebLink About06-25-2025 City Council Special Meeting Agenda Packet, amended 06-26-2025Saratoga City Council Special Meeting Agenda – June 25, 2025 - Page 1 of 2 SARATOGA CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING JUNE 25, 2025 AMENDED AGENDA • 06/26/2025 WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS ADDED Public Participation Information In accordance with Saratoga City Council’s Remote Public Participation Policy, members of the public may participate in these meetings in person at the locations listed below or via remote attendance (if applicable) using the Zoom information below. In the event remote participation technology is unexpectedly unavailable, the meetings will proceed in person without remote participation. Members of the public can view and participate in the 5:00 p.m. Closed Session by: 1. Attending the meeting in person at: • City Hall Linda Callon Conference Room, located at 13777 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga CA 95070 OR 2. Accessing the meeting through Zoom: • Webinar URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89527052458 • Webinar ID 895 2705 2458 OR • Call In: 1.408.638.0968 or 1.669.900.6833 (*6 to unmute; *9 to raise hand) Written Communication Comments can be submitted in writing via the Council Comments Form. Written communications will be provided to the members of the City Council and included in the Agenda Packet and/or in supplemental meeting materials. Public Comment Members of the public may comment on any item for up to three (3) minutes. The amount of time for public comment may be reduced by the Mayor or by action of the City Council. Public Comment will begin with speakers attending in-person first followed by those attending via Zoom. Meeting Recording Information In accordance with the Saratoga City Council’s Meeting Recording Policy, City Council Study Sessions, Joint Meetings, Joint Sessions, Commission Interviews, Retreats, meetings with the Planning Commission, and Regular Session Meetings are recorded and made available following the meeting on the City website. 5:00 PM CLOSED SESSION City Hall, Linda Callon Conference Room | 13777 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga, CA 95070 Saratoga City Council Special Meeting Agenda – June 25, 2025 - Page 2 of 2 CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATORS (Gov’t Code 54957.6) Agency Designated Representatives: Matt Morley, Richard Taylor, Leslie Arroyo, Ryan Hinchman, Monica LaBossiere, Babette McKay, and Deanna Mouser Employee Organization: Saratoga Employee Association (SEA) affiliated with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Staff Memo Attachment A - Written Communication Received June 18, 2025 Supplemental Memo - Written Communications (added 06-26-2025) REPORT ON POSTING OF THE AGENDA The agenda for this meeting was properly posted on June 19, 2025. ADJOURNMENT CERTIFICATE OF POSTING OF THE AGENDA, DISTRIBUTION OF THE AGENDA PACKET, COMPLIANCE WITH AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT I, Britt Avrit, City Clerk for the City of Saratoga, declare that the foregoing agenda for the meeting of the City Council was posted and available for review on June 19, 2025 at the City of Saratoga, 13777 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga, California and on the City's website at www.saratoga.ca.us. Signed this 19th day of June 2025 at Saratoga, California. Britt Avrit, MMC, City Clerk In accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act, copies of the staff reports and other materials provided to the City Council by City staff in connection with this agenda, copies of materials distributed to the City Council concurrently with the posting of the agenda, and materials distributed to the City Council by staff after the posting of the agenda are available on the City website at www.saratoga.ca.us and are available for review in the office of the City Clerk at 13777 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga, California. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Governor’s Executive Order, if you need assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk at bavrit@saratoga.ca.us or calling 408.868.1216 as soon as possible before the meeting. The City will use its best efforts to provide reasonable accommodations to provide as much accessibility as possible while also maintaining public safety. [28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA title II] CITY OF SARATOGA Memorandum To: Members of the Saratoga City Council From: Matt Morley, City Manager Meeting Date: June 25, 2025 Subject: Written Communications, Closed Session _______________________________________________________________________________ The attached information was received on June 18, 2025 and is being included as part of the record as Written Communications for the June 25, 2025, City Council Special Meeting. Attachment: A. Written Communication Received June 18, 2025 3 From:John Tucker To:Matt Morley; Kookie Fitzsimmons; Yan Zhao; Tina Walia; Chuck Page; Belal Aftab; Britt Avrit Subject:Petition for Fair Contract Language and Worker Protections Date:Wednesday, June 18, 2025 11:32:48 AM Attachments:Petition_ Fair contracts for Saratoga City Workers.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear City Manager and Members of the City Council, I’m writing on behalf of the Saratoga Employees Association (SEA) to share with you the attached petition, signed by the employees of the City of Saratoga. This petition underscores a growing concern among the workforce regarding the City’s position at the bargaining table. Despite meaningful discussions around economic terms — where we believe we’ve now presented a proposal that would actually cost the City less than management’s own latest offer — we continue to face significant resistance on non-economic items. Specifically, the City’s bargaining team has insisted on retaining many standard contract provisions, such as leave policies, holidays, and other working conditions, within the Personnel Rules and excluding them from the Memorandum of Understanding. This approach is far outside the norm for public sector bargaining in the Bay Area. In nearly all comparable jurisdictions, these non-economic provisions are negotiated into the labor contract, where they are protected from changes outside of the bargaining table. Leaving them in the Personnel Rules — which are subject to change without bargaining — offers no long-term security for employees and undermines the purpose of having a negotiated contract. Our proposals on these items do not ask for changes to current practice. They simply seek to protect existing terms and conditions by codifying them in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). In other words, we are fighting for stability, not cost increases. In this case, our proposed wage and benefit package is not only fair but also fiscally more conservative than the City’s. We urge you to review the petition and understand the importance of this issue to your dedicated workforce. We are not asking for special treatment — we are asking to be treated with the same respect and standards afforded to public workers across the region. We can’t overstate how important these issues are to us. I’ve also been asked by City staff to try and meet with you all individually, at a time and place convenient for you, not to directly bargain with you but to discuss these issues and more in-depth so you can hear the perspective of your workforce. I’ll reach out to you all separately to try and schedule something. Thank you for your time. John Tucker 4 Union Representative AFSCME Local 101 American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO Phone: 510-777-7703 Web: https://www.afscme101.org/ Email: john.tucker@ca.afscme57.org 675 N First St. Suite #150, San Jose 95112 5 Loca/101~ AFSCME® We Make the City of Saratoga Happen San Jose Office 675 N FirstSLSultc/1150 San Jose, CA 95112 Phone SI0-577-9694 Fax SI0-383-9613 PETITION: Fair Contracts for Saratoga City Workers We, the undersigned employees of the City of Saratoga, respectfully call on the City Council and City Manager to ensure that our contract provides the same standard protections and guarantees that public employees across California receive. Right now, the City's negotiators have refused to include many non-economic terms, such as bereavement leave, holidays, and other working conditions, in our contract. Instead, they insist that these issues remain in the City's Personnel Rules, which they can change at any time. This is out of step with what nearly every other public agency in the Bay Area does. All of Saratoga's comparator agencies -including cities like Morgan Hill. Los Gatos. Cupertino, Menlo Park, and more -include these provisions in their union contracts, despite them also existing in those Cities' Personnel Rules. Most of what we propose simply puts into writing the current practice (status quo). These proposals have no cost to the City, and they would protect our rights and working conditions from sudden changes. In one bargaining session, the City's lead negotiator stated they were not interested in "beefing up the contract." But what we are seeking is not excessive; it is what every public worker should have: stability, fairness, and a voice over the terms and conditions of our employment. We demand that the City of Saratoga agree to a fair contract that includes wages, benefits, and working conditions -just like every other city does -and that the City stop treating our workforce as an exception. Name Job Classification Years of Service G"w.VY\O.. 13~,kl--/fu--A.,,,oc.;..,k_ 6n~~r 7 .SHo.\.t~ ~""'~' ~""" , N\s.\~ vf-A,vPd.-J>.J. e;r \9 ~o/ G~ ~4,J P6V-f i( ff .aflv!e,lAf\) '2){, ( '(" ().J'()C,a_S 'K (UZ,d Adm:, ri 1 s ..Jrd; v e. /).,,°'-1'.S f-~-s ur~~tIJ\ 10imo Ye\ \Ylv~\o\)mtil-\ ~tYVl ce,~ A~ . I. 5 k 1 I, R,,. j-~l,011 (,, /1 SJH:,Ji Pll/vv\<.,r ?,, /ra.V"\.l(SCo A/vQr-c.<-l-&..,n.1er1~u. Le..c....J_jt/o rJ::e. ,,-;l6 --l?e( f?a;;( r •✓rLtJ!-'2.... M.ttl '1Te1t~e f!.L_ 21 6 Loco/101-4 AFSCME® We Make the City of Saratoga Happen San Jo,c Office 675 N First St. Suite 11150 San Jose, CA 95112 Phone 510-577-9694 Fax 510-383-9613 PETITION: Fair Contracts for Saratoga City Workers We, the undersigned employees of the City of Saratoga, respectfully call on the City Council and City Manager to ensure that our contract provides the same standard protections and guarantees that public employees across California receive. Right now, the City's negotiators have refused to include many non-economic terms, such as bereavement leave, holidays, and other working conditions, in our contract. Instead, they insist that these issues remain in the City's Personnel Rules, which they can change at any time. This is out of step with what nearly every other public agency in the Bay Area does. All of Saratoga's comparator agencies -including cities like Morgan Hill, Los Gatos. Cupertino, Menlo Park, and more -include these provisions in their union contracts, despite them also existing in those Cities' Personnel Rules. Most of what we propose simply puts into writing the current practice (status quo). These proposals have no cost to the City, and they would protect our rights and working conditions from sudden changes. In one bargaining session, the City's lead negotiator stated they were not interested in "beefing up the contract." But what we are seeking is not excessive; it is what every public worker should have: stability, fairness, and a voice over the terms and conditions of our employment. We demand that the City of Saratoga agree to a fair contract that includes wages, benefits, and working conditions -just like every other city does -and that the City stop treating our workforce as an exception. Name 12,b bo.lbt,.e.~"- Ise\a. Re~-e.s- Vi'via11. ~ Chr i ~ ~iorJo.o ~U? tvt\(,A~\\c) Job Classification -;::-, Al\(ll1s+- _ AccO-J_o1i n:1 Te.ch .Sv-· ~~1\~j -Jecl-t Sen Jo~ Pla.n()er MM..~~ ~1-st Years of Service -+-,, 0-°t L 1 I~ o.s 2-'J 7 Loca/101~ AFSCME® We Make the City of Saratoga Happen San Jose Office 67S N First St. Suite# I SO San Jose, CA 9S 112 Phone SI 0-S77-9694 Fax 510-383-9613 PETITION: Fair Contracts for Saratoga City Workers We, the undersigned employees of the City of Saratoga, respectfully call on the City Council and City Manager to ensure that our contract provides the same standard protections and guarantees that public employees across California receive. Right now, the City's negotiators have refused to include many non-economic terms, such as bereavement leave, holidays, and other working conditions, in our contract. Instead, they insist that these issues remain in the City's Personnel Rules, which they can change at any time. This is out of step with what nearly every other public agency in the Bay Area does. All of Saratoga's comparator agencies -including cities like Morgan Hill. Los Gatos. Cupertino. Menlo Park. and more -include these provisions in their union contracts. despite them also existing in those Cities' Personnel Rules. Most of what we propose simply puts into writing the current practice {status quo). These proposals have no cost to the City, and they would protect our rights and working conditions from sudden changes. In one bargaining session, the City's lead negotiator stated they were not interested in "beefing up the contract." But what we are seeking is not excessive; it is what every public worker should have: stability, fairness, and a voice over the terms and conditions of our employment. We demand that the City of Saratoga agree to a fair contract that includes wages, benefits, and working conditions -just like every other city does -and that the City stop treating our workforce as an exception. Name ~~~~ I ~r( M.c~I\-~ fvA1HMJ SAt.r¼f::, 1Vf'\t ~~ ~('ev-\- f}h f~ 1!hnv11M-r~w ~ ;3-r;J !fa,n~s Job Classification ~\j. 'f~,~11-.,,u_. -... Adm 1n TW!_nJf'_~ ' Years of Service ~-~l,\AN(.,,f, /~n,t;;,l>k,_'1:._~f.{f'~] _MQN-n-{<; c;'?r~:;~~--~g;~ ~ rr-4~71 _ _ 1 ~::> /]v<JI d.t '!} JA1 ~ ,-{ y:eor 6 nudt; 5 8 CITY OF SARATOGA Memorandum To: Members of the Saratoga City Council From: Britt Avrit, City Clerk Meeting Date: June 25, 2025 Subject: Written Communications _______________________________________________________________________________ Following publication of the agenda packet for the June 25, 2025, City Council Special Meeting, Written Communications were submitted. The communications are attached to this memo. 9 From:Bill Dalton To:Belal Aftab; Chuck Page; Kookie Fitzsimmons; Matt Morley; Tina Walia; Yan Zhao Cc:Bill Dalton; Britt Avrit; Leslie Arroyo Subject:June 25, 2025 Council meeting -- Closed session comments Date:Wednesday, June 25, 2025 11:11:51 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Mayor and Council Members, I ask again that you consider reductions in the following employee benefits. I estimate the cost and therefore potential savings at $450,000 per year. Excess holidays and administrative leave - $125,000. PTO cash out - $250,000 457 plan contributions - $75,000 Thank you, Bill Dalton 1) holidays Saratoga employees currently get 14 holidays. State and Federal employees get 12. But that does not tell the whole story as almost all holidays are 9 hour days. This effectively add another 1+ days. In addition many employees are granted another 20, 40 or as much as 65 hors of administrative" leave each year so that's another 2.5, 5, or even almost 8 days. days. I suggest: a) reduce holidays to 12 b) for each 9 hour holiday, schedule a 9 hour Friday c) eliminate all administrative leave ESTIMATED SAVINGS $150,000 2) PTO carry over and cash out a) limit carry over to that earned in previous year b) eliminate cash out ESTIMATED SAVINGS $250,000 3) Eliminate all 457 plan contributions 10 ESTIMATED SAVINGS $75,000 4) Investigate replacing CalPERs Full retirement for Social Security is 67. For CalERrs it's 50 to 52. Regards, Bill Dalton 11