City seeks reclassified labor-relations roles to address staffing gap; committee moves change favorably

The finance committee advanced a personnel reclassification request intended to bolster the city's labor-relations capacity after a workshop discussion on March 9.

Mandela Aladd, Labor Director, told aldermen her office had been operating with a reduced staff for years and currently has a single attorney handling the city's labor work. "We
re down to one attorney," Aladd said, recounting recent retirements and long-running vacancies. She said the proposed reclassification creates a Senior Labor Relations Counsel (higher salary, intended to attract experienced labor counsel) and reclassifies an existing attorney slot to a Labor Relations Associate (a role that does not require a law license), a structure the director described as effectively cost-neutral.

Why it matters: City negotiators face multiple active or imminent labor-contract negotiations across police, fire and other bargaining units. Aladd said shifting salary dollars into a senior counsel line would make the office more competitive in recruiting and help the city manage bargaining and discipline workloads.

Committee action and drafting edits: During discussion, aldermen asked how recruitment efforts had been conducted and how salary-plus-benefits would compare to private-sector offers. Finance staff and the director confirmed benefit costs are not shown in the departmental salary line but are understood in aggregate during budget deliberations. The committee approved an amendment to remove an irrelevant whereas clause referencing a transfer that is unnecessary for a reclassification; the order, as amended, received a favorable recommendation to the full board.

Next steps: The item will proceed to the full Board of Alders; HR and budget staff will implement the reclassification if approved.