REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
September 15, 2020
FROM
GARY McBRIDE, Chief Executive Officer, County Administrative Office
SUBJECT
Title
Side Letter Agreement
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve the proposed Side Letter Agreement between the County of San Bernardino and the California Nurses Association.
(Presenter: Bob Windle, County Labor Relations Chief, 387-3101)
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 the side letter agreement with California Nurses Association (CNA) will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The proposed side letter agreement with CNA includes a retention incentive differential for eligible employees whose primary work location is a COVID-19 unit or who regularly floats to a COVID-19 unit during their regularly scheduled shift. If approved, the retention incentive differential will be paid on a per pay period basis to each eligible employee. The total estimated one-time cost associated with the approval of this side letter agreement is approximately $94,400 for 2020-21, which will be funded by State Medi-Cal, Federal Medicare, private insurances, Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and other departmental revenue. Sufficient appropriation and revenue are included in the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) 2020-21 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, ARMC has experienced challenges in the retention of certain staff whose primary work is on the COVID-19 units. As such, the County requested to meet and confer with the California Nurses Association (CNA) to develop a retention incentive in an effort to retain these staff members. The meet and confer process resulted in the proposed agreement with CNA to provide certain classifications of employees whose primary work location is on the COVID-19 units with a bi-weekly retention incentive differential. The differential amount shall vary depending on whether the employee is floating or regularly assigned to the unit. This incentive provides the department a tool to assist in the retention of these staff members who are providing crucial healthcare services during the pandemic.
The retention incentive differential will sunset on December 18, 2020, unless extended by mutual agreement.
PROCUREMENT
N/A.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Cynthia O’Neill, Supervising Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on September 9, 2020; Labor Relations (Bob Windle, County Labor Relations Chief, 387-3101) on September 9, 2020; Finance (Jessica Trillo, Administrative Analyst, 387-4222) on September 9, 2020; County Finance and Administration (Matthew Erickson, County Chief Financial Officer, 387-5423) on September 9, 2020.