City employees and union speakers urge Palo Alto council to boost pay, restore health benefits and fill vacancies

A series of public‑comment speakers at the Dec. 16 Palo Alto City Council meeting urged the council to invest more in its workforce to address staffing shortages, retention problems and limits on health benefits for part‑time employees.

Representatives from SEIU Local 521 and several city employees detailed operational strains across multiple departments, including public safety dispatch and the water quality control plant, and urged the council to prioritize contract commitments that would raise pay, expand health coverage and improve retention.

Union leader Rico Mendez, introducing several employee speakers, said the city’s proposals “have fallen on deaf ears” and urged council action. Mendez highlighted vacancies in public safety dispatch: “There’s 5 out of 15 dispatchers that are vacant right now — a 44% vacancy rate,” he said, and warned that the staffing gap increases risk to emergency response.

Patricia Wong, a lead public‑safety dispatcher with 17 years’ service, described mandatory call‑in overtime and the safety consequences of minimal staffing: “If a dispatcher calls in sick, a dispatcher who is off duty is called in and mandated… If we did not come in on days off to maintain minimum staffing, there would be a delay in emergency services and response times,” she said. Wong asked the council to negotiate a contract that provides compensation and recognition for required overtime and on‑call responsibilities.

Speakers from other city departments described similar recruitment and retention pressures. Anna Freitas, an HR liaison in public works and a union member, told the council the wastewater treatment plant has lost experienced operators over the past decade, saying the plant “has lost 11 grade 2 and 3 certified operators” and warning that recruiting and training replacements can take many months. Library staff and volunteers said difficulty recruiting and retaining employees risks the library’s programs.

Several speakers asked the council to move toward cost‑of‑living adjustments tied to market benchmarks (for example, the 75th percentile), increased employer contributions to health premiums, and expanded eligibility for employer health coverage for part‑time employees (speakers noted responses in neighboring cities that provide benefits at 30 hours per week).

Union speakers urged the council to direct negotiators to reach agreement quickly, arguing that investment in the workforce is an investment in city services. City staff and the council did not act on specific contract terms at the Dec. 16 meeting; public comment was part of the council’s broader budget and priority discussions for 2025.

Why it matters

Speakers said vacancies and turnover threaten core services including 911 dispatch, building inspections and wastewater treatment. Several requests sought clear direction from the council to staff negotiators and prioritized budget allocations during the 2025 contract cycle.