(Santa Clara,CA) County pay issues put on ballot (Supervisors,unions have dueling measures)

Mercury News ^ | 8/3/04 | Mike Zapler

[NormsRevenge]

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday placed three complicated measures on the Nov. 2 ballot that could help determine how county employees are compensated -- and the cost to taxpayers.

Just below the surface of the three densely worded initiatives lies a bitter battle between county officials and the unions representing attorneys, nurses and correctional officers. The unions want to boost their power at the bargaining table with a new rule that would allow an independent arbitrator to settle contract disputes. They succeeded recently in collecting 59,000 signatures, which is far more than the 42,000 needed to place the issue on the November ballot.

County officials responded by drafting their own pair of initiatives, which supervisors voted Tuesday to put on the ballot alongside the unions' measure. One of the proposals would change the county charter provisions on ``prevailing wages.'' Currently, when contract negotiations between the county and a union reach an impasse, officials look at how much employees in similar private-sector jobs earn as they try to reach a settlement. The ballot initiative would change the charter to say that the county could make comparisons only with other public sector workers.

The second measure could be even more confusing to voters. It says that if the unions' binding arbitration measure passes, the board of supervisors could put any arbitrator's ruling to a public vote in the next election. In other words, voters -- not an arbitrator -- would have the last word on salary decisions.

[goldstategop]

VOTE NO and tell the politicians and labor union bosses to stop sloughing off the public trough like there's no tomorrow.