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Committee forwards three labor MOUs — paramedics, police command staff and municipal attorneys — to full Board after review
Summary
A Board committee reviewed three memoranda of understanding covering paramedics (H‑1), police command staff (P2B) and the Municipal Attorneys Association, heard fiscal impacts and training concerns, and sent Items 2 and 3 to the full Board with recommendation while forwarding Item 1 without recommendation.
A San Francisco Board committee on labor and budget on the record Tuesday advanced three labor agreements to the full Board while flagging modest net costs and training concerns.
Mr. Grant of the Department of Human Resources told the committee the three items before members were an H‑1 classification for paramedics, a P2B contract for police command staff, and a Municipal Attorneys Association agreement that mirrors concessions in recent union settlements. He said the H‑1 category affects about 14 incumbents and would shift holiday pay into a pensionable holiday structure while lowering the premium rate.
Budget analyst Deborah Newman told the committee the packages are policy items and laid out the fiscal effects: roughly $300,000 net additional cost for the paramedic positions in the budget and approximately $1.4 million over four years associated with police officer costs to cover deputy chiefs and commanders. Newman said the MAA furloughs (five days) account for about $1.3 million in general‑fund savings already reflected in the FY08–09 budget and roughly $85,000 in non‑general‑fund savings; the paramedic and pension adjustments produce partial offsets.
Supervisor Maxwell questioned whether the MOU training reimbursement—$500 per course, subject to availability—provides a meaningful incentive for officers to pursue additional education. "Reimbursement $500 that doesn't seem like a very big incentive to me," Maxwell said, and argued San Francisco should ensure training reflects the city's diverse population.
Mr. Grant responded that MOU training funds are separate and typically much smaller than departmental training budgets; the department operates its own police academy and funds specialty training, while the MOU covers courses officers might pursue on their own.
During public comment Douglas Yep voiced a concern linked to paramedics, saying he had read local reporting that raised the prospect of curtailing 911 services and asking the committee to note the article as part of the record.
After discussion the committee closed public comment and, without objection, agreed to send Items 2 and 3 to the full Board with a recommendation. Item 1 (H‑1 paramedic classification) was forwarded to the full Board without recommendation.
The full Board will receive the ordinances and MOUs for final consideration; the committee did not record roll‑call vote tallies in the hearing transcript.
