City, Service Workers Ready to Talk Again

The city and representatives of the Service Employees International Union are ready to resume discussions and begin mediation, the Ventura city manager’s office said Friday.

The move came after nearly 60 union members went to the City Council on Monday night.

The city and union had reached an impasse in salary negotiations about two weeks ago, after 16 meetings and 80 hours of arguing at the negotiating table.

The two groups were trying to put together a three-year agreement that would equalize benefits between one group of employees the union has represented since 1981, and a newer group it has represented since last November.

The union represents 286 city employees who do everything from trimming city trees to maintaining public golf courses to data processing to issuing parking tickets.

The union is seeking a 3% increase for each of the next three years. The city offered a 1% increase the first year, 2% the second year, and 2.5% the third year. No middle ground could be reached.

On Monday night, about 60 union members--with SEIU buttons pinned to their shirts--crowded into the council chambers and waited more than four hours to tell the City Council their position. They said they wanted to reopen dialogue--and this was their way of doing it.

Carl Valdez, an engineering technician and president of the union’s Ventura chapter, told the council that the city expects above-average services for a median cost. “It’s like having a wine and caviar appetite on a beer and pizza budget,” he said.

The city and union representatives will meet Tuesday.