National City union leader presents pay proposal; council meets in closed session on labor talks and workers’ comp claim

At a National City Council meeting, Jeremy Day, president of the National City Firefighters, presented a pay proposal and asked the council to consider it in closed session; the council then went into closed session to discuss labor negotiations and a workers’ compensation claim.

Day said the firefighters’ proposal was intended to produce an “equitable increase across the ranks” and that the union had adjusted its offer to reduce the proposed increase for battalion chief from 4.5 to 4 to achieve fairness. “We were very intentional with looking at the surveys and ensuring there was an equitable increase across the ranks,” Day said. He described the proposal as “merit based and time based in position” and said the step change was intended to move employees toward an average salary over time.

A resident who identified himself as Renato used the public-comment period to criticize the council’s explanation of how labor contracts would be paid for, saying the city’s available funds did not match union commitments. Renato asserted there is “a $4,800,000 unassigned reserve” and said the public had seen a Facebook post announcing a tentative agreement between unions and the city. “You haven’t described that,” Renato told the council, urging clearer disclosure of whether raises would be funded by “raising taxes, cut[ting] services, and . . . play[ing] around with reserves.”

The City Attorney announced two items for closed session: a workers’ compensation claim identified as claim number 24180196, Derek Jones v. City of National City Fire Department, and a conference with labor negotiators involving MEA, firefighters, the police officers association and unrepresented groups. “The 2 items for closed session, 5.1 is a workers’ compensation claim. It’s claim number 24180196. The claimant Derek Jones versus the city of National City Fire Department. Agenda 5.2 is conference with labor negotiators,” the City Attorney said. The transcript records the council entering closed session; the mayor later said the council would report out at the end of the meeting.

No formal votes or outcomes on the labor proposal or the workers’ compensation claim are recorded in the available transcript. The council’s recorded action was to meet in closed session on the two items announced by the City Attorney; any agreements, directions or settlements were not disclosed in the portions of the meeting provided.