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Commission advances Equal Opportunity and Diversity Specialist job description amid union objections
Summary
The General Counsel Commission voted Oct. 29 to forward a reclassified Administrative Secretary 3 position — retitled Equal Opportunity and Diversity Specialist — to the full council despite union concerns that additional director input after the labor-management interview breached the collectively bargained process.
The General Counsel Commission on Oct. 29 voted to advance a reclassified Administrative Secretary 3 position, now titled Equal Opportunity and Diversity Specialist, to the full common council for final consideration.
Chairwoman Blackwell called the motion after discussion and the commission recorded four affirmative votes to forward the job description. Director Faith Jackson and labor and union representatives had previously described differences between the administrative secretary duties and the proposed specialist responsibilities, and staff said the job description presented to the committee used language drawn from the Baker Tilly position analysis.
Union representatives told the commission they believed the labor-management process had been compromised. Nick DeRosa, chapter C president of Local 466, told the commission, "This part of the CBA process has been broken," and said the union would consider filing a formal grievance if members were treated differently. Director Richardson, summarizing the staff review of the process, warned that "Allowing additional information not presently previously presented before or during the labor management process at this stage opens the city up to possible labor charges, claims of favoritism, and claims of direct dealing and also opens the up the union to a failure to represent charges" if outside input altered the committee's evaluation.
Council members questioned whether the reclassification would include a salary upgrade; staff said the job description as presented does not guarantee an immediate pay change and that a separate appeals or classification process would be required for a salary adjustment. Councilwoman Linda Salafia asked staff to provide records showing how often positions and applicants are selected so the council can see whether repeated denials discourage future applicants.
The commission's approval at this meeting is procedural: the reclassified job description will go before the full common council for a vote. The commission also approved the Sept. 24 minutes and then adjourned.
