OCII approves two MOAs and salary resolution, including retroactive cost-of-living increases and new leave provisions

The commission approved memoranda of agreement with two bargaining units and adopted an updated salary resolution on Sept. 20.

Principal personnel analyst April Ward described negotiated terms that together provide roughly a 10% cost-of-living adjustment across two years for represented staff: a 5.25% increase retroactive to July 1, 2022; a 2.5% increase effective July 1, 2023; and a 2.25% increase effective Jan. 8, 2024. Some classifications receive slightly different percentage increases per the salary chart. Ward outlined several non-salary employment provisions that were added or amended, including expanded bereavement leave beyond immediate family, sealed personnel-file treatment for disciplinary materials older than three years (subject to certain exceptions), changes to compensatory-time accrual caps, floating-holiday carryover for one bargaining unit, and a new vacation cash-out option (up to 120 hours per year) with an estimated contingent FY23 cost of $500,000 covered by existing liabilities.

Commissioners asked about the number of staff covered by the MOAs; staff reported roughly 38 full-time employees with seven exempt from the MOA coverage. Commissioners also questioned the personnel-file sealing provision and the fiscal-deficit threshold language; staff clarified budget contingencies and confirmed the paperwork before the commission reflected a $300 million deficit-delay threshold. The commission authorized the resolutions and both MOAs by separate roll-call votes.

Vice Chair Rosales, Commissioner Scott and others commended staff and unions for reaching agreements during a difficult budgetary and pandemic recovery period.