They Will Find Out Thursday
At the next bargaining session on Thursday — roughly the six-month anniversary of the expiration of the last contract — the Association will learn just how shrewd and successful its tactics were. In a sharp departure from traditional protests, the words of the Association’s chief negotiator, David Twedell, and the president, Ed Escarcega, were wrapped in generous dollops of sweet honey when they addressed the City Council. The two officials were the only unionists who spoke. “We have not come here to try and negotiate,” Mr. Twedell, the union rep, announced at the outset. “We have a bargaining team that is not only able but has one of the finest human resources negotiating people I have ever dealt with. Jack Hoffman (the city’s lead negotiator) is a really good guy. While we don’t always agree, we have no complaints about his conduct in negotiations, about how he handles sessions. He is really a professional and a gentleman. Our problem is the substance of what he has been asked to say. It reflects an issue of public policy, and that is what we are here to talk about.”
Asking for a Direction Change
City Hall’s cost-sharing proposal, calling for both current and retired employees to pick up 5 percent of their healthcare costs, is at the nub of the prolonged disagreement between the two sides, according to the union. “(Mr. Hoffman) said that the Council is intent upon introducing the idea of cost-sharing for (all members),” Mr. Twedell said. “We are aware of the context this request is coming from. We are aware that many other municipal employees are participating in the healthcare program. Nevertheless, here in Culver City, we are asking you to keep it the way it has been. We are ready to negotiate in good faith about finding ways to control costs. This is something that can’t be done at the bargaining table, but (only) if you will give direction to your team.”
Only With Respect
If anything, the union President Mr. Escarcega was more deferential than Mr. Twedell. His soft voice and dignified, respectful manner created an immediately collegial environment. “I am an employee of the Public Works Dept. of the city,” he said. “I have had an opportunity to work hand-in-hand with a few of you, and I hope to do so again in the future. I stand before you as President of the Culver City Employees Assn.” Mr. Escarcega described the union’s membership, with an emphasis on retirees, as “family.” He portrayed the retirees as the relatively faceless workers of a decade or two ago who prepared the city for the way that it is presumed to glisten today. “Retirees tend to live on fixed incomes,” the president said. “These are people who put in 20, 25, 30 years for the city with the expectation — and the promise — that there would be a reward for their hard work and their sacrifices for this community. Now the reward for their hard work is being threatened. While we have been made aware that the city is in a financial bind, we believe we have some legitimate concerns. What the city is asking from retired and current employees is a hardship for all, but especially for retirees. These people are the foundation the community was built on. They have helped the city in good times and in bad times, just as any good family would. We don’t believe now is the time to turn your back on the family who was there for the city when they needed help.” As with the union representative, Mr. Escarcega was heavily applauded by the membership when he completed his soft-edged presentation and departed the podium.
A Sterner Tone
Off-stage, the tone of rhetoric was significantly more muscular, more ominous sounding. “Our members are serious,” a high-ranking source told thefrontpageonline.com. “What was said before the Council should not be misread. This is not over. Our members are hurt by what has happened in negotiations. Now we will progress to the next stage. This was just the first stage. The city has been dragging its heels. The city is going after people who have dedicated their lives to this community. It may be time to up the ante.”
View from the Other Side
The much-complimented Mr. Hoffman, who has retired a couple of times in his life and now is working for City Hall on a contractural basis, last year was placed in charge of negotiating new deals with the city’s six unions. Only the two unions in the Fire Dept. have been satisfied. Of bargaining with the Culver City Employees Assn., Mr. Hoffman, speaking carefully, said, “We are making progress.” He appeared to be establishing an atmosphere of business-as-usual. Noting that “I don’t even tell my wife about what goes on in negotiations,” he said that “we are hoping for a settlement.” Half a year, he added, “is not an unusually long time to be without a contract.”
