REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 28, 2022
FROM
DIANE RUNDLES, Director, Human Resources Department
SUBJECT
Title
Side Letter Agreement with Teamsters, Local 1932
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve a Side Letter Agreement between San Bernardino County and Teamsters, Local 1932 for the implementation of an In-House Registry Pilot Program.
(Presenter: Diane Rundles, Director, 387-5570)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Create, Maintain and Grow Jobs and Economic Value in the County.
Improve County Government Operations.
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Ensure Development of a Well-Planned, Balanced, and Sustainable County.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this Side Letter Agreement will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost).
The In-House Registry Pilot Program (Program) will provide a financial incentive of double time pay to County employees assigned to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) and San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department (Sheriff’s Department) to sign up and work additional shifts above their standard tour of duty. The rate(s) proposed by this Agreement can have multiple fiscal impacts:
• Some overtime hours that are regularly performed by County employees will qualify for the Program and therefore be paid at a higher rate, thereby increasing costs above the current obligations. However, these increases will be offset by the reduction of the County’s use of temporary employees employed by an outside temporary staffing agency (Temporary Employees).
• The overall reduction of the use of Temporary Employees will realize a reduction in costs as County employees are incentivized to work additional shifts, thereby reducing reliance upon Temporary Employees. The savings vary based on the skill level and seniority of the employees being deployed.
It is the goal of the County, ARMC and the Sheriff’s Department to utilize the Program so that it is cost neutral to the County while providing additional pay for the County employees.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On January 25, 2022, the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved a Side Letter Agreement with California Nurses Association for an In-House Registry Pilot Program. The Program has been successfully operating since January 2022, and has attracted eligible nurses to sign up for additional shifts. Beginning in March 2022, the County engaged in a meet and confer with Teamsters Local 1932, the exclusive representative of employees in the Nurses Supervisory and Management Unit. At the conclusion of the meet and confer, the parties agreed to the proposed Side Letter Agreement (Agreement) that extends the Program to certain classifications in the Nurses Supervisory and Management Unit assigned to the Sheriff’s Department and ARMC.
In the past the County has used outside temporary staffing agencies during staffing shortages, but it is the desire of the County to reduce the use of such outside services. The Program will provide a financial incentive of double time rates, i.e., two times the employee’s base hourly rate, to eligible County employees to sign up and work additional shifts beyond their standard tour of duty.
Upon Board approval, this Program will be effective on July 2, 2022, and will sunset on January 13, 2023, unless the parties mutually agree to extend the Program.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Cynthia O’Neill, Principal Assistant County Counsel, 387-5455) on June 17, 2022; Human Resources (Diane Rundles, Director, 387-5570, and Leonardo Gonzalez, Deputy Director/Labor Chief, 387-5568) on June 17, 2022; County Finance (Abigail Buecheler, Administrative Analyst, 387-4603) on June 17, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Matthew Erickson, County Chief Financial Officer, 387-5423) on June 17, 2022.