Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Labor topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Part‑time city employees, represented by AFSCME, urge Carson to return to contract talks and expand benefits
Summary
Multiple part‑time city employees and AFSCME representatives told the council the part‑time MOU expired in 2023, negotiations have been slow and the city’s latest ‘last, best and final’ offer was rejected. Speakers asked for increased pay adjustments, additional paid holidays and better employer contribution toward medical premiums.
Dozens of current and long‑term part‑time City of Carson employees and representatives of AFSCME Local 809 urged the City Council on June 3 to reopen contract negotiations and improve pay and benefits for part‑time staff.
Key claims from public commenters: AFSCME representative Nancy Russos told the council that the part‑time Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) expired July 1, 2023, and negotiations that began in November 2024 have not produced a satisfactory agreement. She said the city’s most recent proposal was presented as a last, best and final offer that rejected most of the union’s proposals on pay and language and provided only modest cost‑of‑living adjustments over three years.
Several part‑time employees who addressed the council described long service and the practical limits of current benefits. Hunter Noah, a recreation department staffer, said the city depends on part‑time workers to run year‑round programs and special events and asked the council to negotiate in good faith. Early‑childhood educator Susana Carrasco described 13 years of service and asked the city to treat early‑childhood staff as licensed professionals with reliable job classifications and access to basic health care.
What workers are asking for: The group seeks higher wage adjustments (COLAs), city contributions to medical premiums (the city’s contribution toward part‑time medical has not increased since 2017, union speakers said), access to the same dental and vision benefits available to full‑time staff (the city declined to extend these benefits to most part‑time staff in the most recent offer), and additional paid city‑declared holidays so part‑timers aren’t unpaid when city facilities close for holidays.
Numbers cited at the meeting: City negotiators proposed small percentage COLAs and an increase to bilingual pay (which affects only a few part‑time workers), the union said. Russos said only three part‑time workers currently receive bilingual pay and that only nine part‑time employees can currently afford the medical benefit at the city’s contribution levels.
Council and next steps: Councilmembers and union representatives asked the city to return to the bargaining table and to approach negotiations differently than in prior years, with an emphasis on fairness for long‑service part‑timers. Several council members said they would request staff bring back proposals that expand access to benefits for long‑term part‑time workers and to resume good‑faith bargaining.
Ending: Part‑time staff who addressed the council urged stronger recognition of their years of service and asked for a negotiated agreement that reflects their role in delivering the city’s recreation, childcare and community programming.
