Sunnyvale approves successor MOU for dispatchers focused on recruitment, pay equity

The Sunnyvale City Council on Jan. 13 approved a successor memorandum of understanding for the Communications Officers Association, the bargaining unit that represents the city’s dispatchers (20 positions).

Sarah Johnson, assistant city manager and interim human resources director, told the council negotiations began in September and reached a tentative agreement in December. The contract is a three-year agreement with a possible fourth-year extension and is designed to improve recruitment and retention by establishing more equitable compensation across CalPERS pension tiers, adding education- and skills-based pay, providing shift-differential pay and increasing the city’s contribution to employee health-care costs.

Council members praised dispatchers’ critical public-safety role. Vice Mayor Mellinger moved to adopt the staff recommendation; the motion passed on a roll-call vote recorded as 6–0 with Councilmember Srinivasan absent. Staff said future-year costs will be incorporated into the proposed budget.

The action updates the city’s contract administration and eliminates employer-paid member contributions for classic CalPERS members in this bargaining unit (as specified in the staff report), and staff will incorporate the costs into the upcoming budget cycle.