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Committee advances IT classification modernization ordinance to allow bargaining over expanded job classes
Summary
The committee recommended passage of an ordinance that would allow the city to bargain to expand IT professional classifications from three broad categories into more than 40 job classes; presenters said roughly 550 employees are affected and that any financial impacts will be determined through collective bargaining.
The Human Services, Labor and Economic Development Committee voted 3–0 to recommend passage of council bill 121225, an ordinance that would authorize bargaining to modernize the city's information-technology professional classification and compensation structure.
Councilmember Alexis Mercedes, chair of the committee, moved to advance the bill after Seattle Department of Human Resources and Seattle IT staff described the proposal as a step to align job titles and pay with current IT work. Dr. Kimberly Loving, director of the Seattle Department of Human Resources, said the city's IT classification framework had changed little in nearly 30 years and needed updating to reflect today's roles.
"The proposed framework is the result of market-informed research and established industry best practices," Dr. Loving said. William Winfield, the city's labor relations director, told the committee the ordinance would permit bargaining with Local 77, which represents roughly 560 IT professionals. "If this legislation is passed, it would allow labor relations to engage in bargaining with Local 77," Winfield said. Presenters said the city currently uses three IT professional classifications (A, B and C) and is proposing a structure with more than 40 classifications to better match employees' actual duties.
Presenters told the committee the ordinance itself carries no immediate financial impact; any downstream pay or budget changes would be negotiated in collective bargaining and presented later as part of implementing legislation. "There will likely be financial impacts when employees are placed into this new structure, but all of that cannot be determined at this time and it would be subject to bargaining," Seattle IT staff said.
With no further questions from committee members, Chair Mercedes moved to recommend the bill to the full council; the motion was seconded and the clerk recorded a 3'0'00 vote in favor. The committee's recommendation will be transmitted to the full council for consideration at the July 28 meeting.
Next steps: if the council approves the ordinance, labor relations will begin bargaining with Local 77. Any tentative agreement would return to council as subsequent implementing legislation for approval.
