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Published on 02/03/1997 All articles from this issue

Cop, city labor talks at 'impasse,' lawyer says

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By Joanne Griffith Domingue / Town Crier Staff Writer

Labor lawyer Alan Davis told the Los Altos City Council that contract negotiations between the city and the police have reached an impasse.

"We are asking the council for guidance on the impasse," said Los Altos police officer Tracy Gurecki, president of the local Police Officers Association.

"If the city had an impasse procedure, it would be simple," Gurecki said. "We'd follow the procedure.

"Now we have to wait and see what the council does."

Davis addressed the council at its Jan. 28 meeting because the Los Altos police officers have been without a contract since June 30.

Layne Long, assistant to the city manager and the city's chief labor negotiator, agreed that the city does not have a specific resolution regarding an impasse procedure.

"But there is a state labor law that provides a mechanism - such as bringing in a state mediator. We've done that and there is no contract. We can bring in a mediator again."

Gurecki said "our next step is to hear from council to help us resolve this."

Los Altos Mayor Francis La Poll said to Davis at the Council meeting that "the council has a bargaining team, and we have full faith in that bargaining team. It is a violation of labor law, an unfair labor practice, to attempt to bypass the bargaining team.

"We would appreciate it if they would bargain with our team in good faith."

The issues creating the logjam, Gurecki said, are health insurance for retired police officers and a grievance procedure.

The police officers want to be part of the Public Employees Retirement System that offers nine choices of health insurance coverage for retired police officers instead of being limited to the two carriers, Lifeguard and Kaiser, offered by the city.

Portability of coverage and flexibility of choice are what the police want, Gurecki said.

"Lifeguard has an out-of-area, totally portable plan," Long said. "We offer this to all retired city employees, including retired police officers. So if a police officer wants to move out of the area, health insurance is completely available.

"It is very important to us that our retirees have access to medical coverage including a portable, out-of-area plan. We hope in the future Kaiser will offer an out-of-area plan."

With the grievance procedure, police said their plan is "clear, concise.

"Theirs (the city's) does not have the objectivity ours does. It stays within the city with the city manager having the final say," Gurecki said.

Long said "the parties need to continue to negotiate. We want to talk."

Under state law, police officers are not allowed to strike. There are statutes that protect the health and public safety of a community, Long said.

"So we can reach a contract or not and go on as we are. We feel our last proposal was very fair and reasonable," he said.

Gurecki said, "We have to wait and see what the city council does." What was said at the meeting Jan. 28 "did not constitute an answer. We have cooperated with the city in the past. We're not asking for anything more than what the marketplace offers."