Title
SUBJECT: Approval of Agreement for Labor Relations Consulting, Labor Contract Negotiations and Employee Related Legal Services with the Law Firm of Liebert Cassidy Whitmore in the Not to Exceed Amount of $100,000
REPORT IN BRIEF
Considers approving an agreement for labor relations consulting, labor contract negotiations and employee related legal services with the law firm of Liebert Cassidy Whitmore.
RECOMMENDATION
City Council - Adopt a motion approving an agreement for professional services with the law firm of Liebert Cassidy Whitmore for labor relations consulting, labor contract negotiations, and employee related matters and authorizing the City Manager or the Assistant City Manager to execute the necessary documents.
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ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve as recommended by staff; or,
2. Approve, subject to modification as conditioned by City Council; or,
3. Refer to staff for reconsideration for specific items; or,
4. Deny.
AUTHORITY
Charter of the City of Merced, Section 200 et. Seq.
Merced Municipal Code Section 3.04
CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES
As provided in the 2019-2020 adopted budget.
DISCUSSION
The City has five bargaining units and four unrepresented groups. At the end of December 2019, all units and the unrepresented groups will have expiring labor agreements. In order to help manage such a large undertaking, the City would like to secure the services of the Liebert Cassidy Whitmore law firm. This is a common practice used by other public agencies as well. While City staff will provide substantial support in preparation for and during the negotiations processes, internal City resources are not sufficient to meet the demands associated with the bargaining processes. In addition, the City and the bargaining processes will benefit from having the specialized legal expertise offered by a law firm focusses on relations and labor negotiations to address complex legal issues such as employee benefits, compensation, pensions and other issues that are likely to arise during the bargaining processes.
The City has used Liebert Cassidy Whitmore for labor negotiations, and other employment related matters since 2010. During that time, the City has generally completed negotiations in a timely manner without being subject to fact-finding or unfair labor practice charges. With the current landscape of labor relations issues, it is important to have an expert legal resource at the table with the City who can communicate with City Council on labor negotiations issues. Accordingly, for the reasons stated above and for the continuity of knowledge for the bargaining processes, Staff recommends contracting with Liebert Cassidy Whitmore for labor relations legal services.
IMPACT ON CITY RESOURCES
No additional appropriation is needed.
ATTACHMENTS
1. LCW Agreement