April 16, 1975 (8 pages)

a Earl G. Waters b Collective bargaining After three months of the 1975 Legislature, the biggest single issue, and the most controversial one, to emerge is that of collective bargaining for public employes. Shoved partially aside in the heat of the battle have been the problem of unemployment, “inflation, tax reform, school financing, rising crime rates, pollution, and Perhaps that can be attributed to the huge campaign financing programs of the public employe groups in the 1974 elections. One of the chief beneficiaries of that however, Governor Jerry Brown, has remained aloof from the controversy. This, despite his statements that he collective bargaining for public employes. Recently, he reportedly indicated his support was ‘‘in principle’’ rather than any specifics and refrained from endorsing the major bill, SB 275, authored by Senator Ralph Dills. The issue is not exactly new. It has been building for several year, no doubt gathering strength as a result of the harsh attitude of former Governor Ronald Reagan towards state workers. Reagan not only negated civil service security by massive layoffs but dragged his feet on salary adjustments and fringe benefit improvements, kept employe leaders at a distance, and reneged on committments made to them. But for those facts one could well ask what the employes have to bargain about? Prior to the Reagan years the state employes had been enjoying unquestioned job security as the population growth of the state caused an ever expanding government payroll. While the state workers lagged in some fringe benefits from those being gained by employes in the more advanced sectors of private industry, their overall compensation was generally equal to or better than private pay. And the working conditions were far tter than those of the average worker in the private sector. Most of these things are still true, and they are certainly true of public employment where the Reagan administration had no authority. The need then for effort on the part of the state workers would seem to be in the direction of strengthening the protections they assumed they had under civil service until Reagan, i ly with his indiscri te layoffs, proved differently. . As has been aptly pointed out by proponents of the bargaining measures, labor bargaining means little without the power to enforce it. Boiled down that means the right to st-“ke must accompany it. And that is where the demand for public employe ar ag falls apart. or the inherent ability ofprivate employers to counterbalance employe demands, and strike threats, fs absent in government-employe relations. A private employer can resist by locking out the employes or he can just plain go out of business. Government has no such options. It must continue in business, especially in the essential services of protecting life and property. To do this it must continue other services such as collecting taxes and administering programs and justice through the courts. Another impracticality of the demands for bargaining is the fact that government, unlike industry, has a separation of powers. Thus, negotiations with management cannot be binding in government as they would be when dealing with corporate management. Any deals made with the executive, whether it be the governor, county manager or school superintendent must be implemented with funds which can only be provided by the legislative body which may well reject the executive’s agreement with labor. Even, if approved, the people still reserve the right to referendum or challenge through the courts. Then there is the aspect, Elmer Stoon © 1975 Sierra Features W/0.4--/4 “ONE THING YOU GOTTA WATCH OLIT FOR IS RACCOONS,Oe FBO BTBAL YA: BLIND ILM: ore eee e eee eas ee ete ara ys ee tele as ee 8 ee ef xy yee hardly mentioned so far in the legislative deliberations, of _openess in government. ‘The very nature of labor negotiations requires secrecy to avoid them degenerating into rhetoric. Recognizing that conflict SB 275 has sought to compromise by providing that the ‘initial’? proposal and counter proposal will be public records after. transmittal but provides no public access to the negotiation process. Nor are the employe demands for bargaining limited to the matters of compensation, fringe benefits, and work conditions. They extend to what is tantamount to a working voice in the management and conduct of the “‘business”. It’s almost like the privates wanting the right to tell the generals how to run the war. In any event, the formidable opposition which has arisen to employe bargaining proposals, would seem to have doomed anything but some weak compromise which will be unsatisfactory to most everybody. That this-seems a safe prediction is strengthened by the fact that the employes are not unanimous in support of any proposal. For example, Ken Brown, executive officer of the California Correctional Officers, a substantial segment of state employes, said in opposition, “It will effectively dismantle the present system of civil service employment. The question is whether we really want the union hiring hall procedures in state government?” Dance Sat., April 19th 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Country Cowboys Admission *2.50 Folsom Community Club House PUBLIC NOTICE es PUBLIC NOTICE & STATE OF r% : the CALIFORNIA, "Steuer "Bireclors “of the COUNTY OF Nevada ony Sanitation District No.1. Resolution No. , NEVADA ‘ BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MINUTES April 1, 1975. Meetin 10:02 A.M., all Su present. Salute to Minutes approved mitted. : Board recessed and _ convened as the Nevada County Board of Equalization to consider the lication for Reduction in Assessment of Associated Students of the University of Calif. At the request of County Counsel this matter was continued until May 6, 1975 at 10:05 A.M. Board_recessed_as_Board of rvisors he flag. as subcalled to order at. 75-6 tepproving agreement between the Di Northwest Construction Company) was adopted. Meet ng adjourned; Board of Supervisors meeting called back to order at 10:21 A.M. The record shows that Supervisor Turner disqualified himself from robe pl gis in the Sanitation istrict meeting. Communications and Department Head matters presented and considered.» Ordinance No. 703 amending -Section L-VI 1.3, 1.4, 1.5; 1.6, 1.8, 1.10, 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, Highway 49 scheduled for improvements More than $128 million in construction funds has been advanced to make use of the recent release of federal funds ‘by President Gerald Ford. In addition to the advanced projects, the state will also use $57 million of the impounded money for various other purposes including right-ofway acquisition, planning and research, highways, and construction by local government. Projects being advanced to use impounded money include construction of nearly one and one-half miler of two-lane expressway on Highway 49 between two and one-half miles north of the South Yuba River and Birchville-Tyler Foote Crossing Roads, at an estimated cost of $1,300,000. ‘Highway 49 in’ Sierra county will undergo construction of a truck passing lane about two and one-half miles-east of the Yuba county line at an estimated cost of $210,000. Now Freedom Shares Sat. & Sun. at 2PM. Dan Russell Arena Folsom City Park General. Admission. . . . $3.00 Students . User Byes) 82.00 Sponsored By The Folsom Rotary Club 1.16 and repealing eae 1.17 and 1.18 Chapter VI, Article 1, Land Use and Development Code (Criteria for Septic Tank Leaching Systems) was adopted. Hjalmer ere representative to the Bicentennial Commission, presented the Board-with a Certificate of Recognition of Nevada County as a bicentennial community and the Official Bicentennial Flag. Board recessed for lunch. AFTERNOON SESSION: Meeting called to order at 1:30 P.M. A Public Hearing was held on the Lake of the Pines Assessment District. Testimony was -taken from . attorneys representing . specific parties affected by the proposed district and also from ahaa owners within the propos: district. The hearing was continued by adoption of Resolution No. 7577, until May 6, 1975 at 3:00 P.M. The record reflects that at all times during this hearing and discussion _ thereon Supervisor Turner disqualified himself from any participation. . Ordinance No. 704 amendin Chapter IV, Article 1, throug Article 9 of the Land Use and Development Code of the County of Nevada (Subdivision Ordinance replacing Articles 1 through 9, Chapter IV of the Land Use and Development Code) was adopted. Supervisor Turner is noted absent from-voting. Lengthy discussion was held on the minimum lot size and illegal lots. Staff was directed to draft an amendment to the urgency ordinance regarding minimum lot sizes on sewer and public water so that there will be no. minimum on existing lots that have sewer and public water. There being no_ further business the meeting adjourned at 5:45 P.M. . THEO. A. KOHLER, JR., Co. Clerk & Ex-Officio ‘Clerk, Nevada County Board of Supervisors, State of California, do. hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct excerpt of the Minutes of the meeting of the Board of Supervisors held April 1, 1975. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, . hereunto affix hand and official seal of said Board this 7th day of April, 1975. THEO. A. KOHLER, JR. Co. Clerk & Ex-Officio Clerk Nevada County Board of Supervisors BY: JEANETTE HILLMAN Deputy Clerk to the Board Date of Publication: April strict and . 16,1975. CLASSIFIED AoS 10. Crafts and Services ROBERT L. ROSS, JR. OPTOMETRIST 147 Mill St., Ph. 273-6246 °shee ee eee ee ean ‘April 16, 1975 Wed., The Nevada County Nugget 7 =~ Prrees

a Earl G. Waters b Collective bargaining After three months of the 1975 Legislature, the biggest single issue, and the most controversial one, to emerge is that of collective bargaining for public employes. Shoved partially aside in the heat of the battle have been the problem of unemployment, “inflation, tax reform, school financing, rising crime rates, pollution, and Perhaps that can be attributed to the huge campaign financing programs of the public employe groups in the 1974 elections. One of the chief beneficiaries of that however, Governor Jerry Brown, has remained aloof from the controversy. This, despite his statements that he collective bargaining for public employes. Recently, he reportedly indicated his support was ‘‘in principle’’ rather than any specifics and refrained from endorsing the major bill, SB 275, authored by Senator Ralph Dills. The issue is not exactly new. It has been building for several year, no doubt gathering strength as a result of the harsh attitude of former Governor Ronald Reagan towards state workers. Reagan not only negated civil service security by massive layoffs but dragged his feet on salary adjustments and fringe benefit improvements, kept employe leaders at a distance, and reneged on committments made to them. But for those facts one could well ask what the employes have to bargain about? Prior to the Reagan years the state employes had been enjoying unquestioned job security as the population growth of the state caused an ever expanding government payroll. While the state workers lagged in some fringe benefits from those being gained by employes in the more advanced sectors of private industry, their overall compensation was generally equal to or better than private pay. And the working conditions were far tter than those of the average worker in the private sector. Most of these things are still true, and they are certainly true of public employment where the Reagan administration had no authority. The need then for effort on the part of the state workers would seem to be in the direction of strengthening the protections they assumed they had under civil service until Reagan, i ly with his indiscri te layoffs, proved differently. . As has been aptly pointed out by proponents of the bargaining measures, labor bargaining means little without the power to enforce it. Boiled down that means the right to st-“ke must accompany it. And that is where the demand for public employe ar ag falls apart. or the inherent ability ofprivate employers to counterbalance employe demands, and strike threats, fs absent in government-employe relations. A private employer can resist by locking out the employes or he can just plain go out of business. Government has no such options. It must continue in business, especially in the essential services of protecting life and property. To do this it must continue other services such as collecting taxes and administering programs and justice through the courts. Another impracticality of the demands for bargaining is the fact that government, unlike industry, has a separation of powers. Thus, negotiations with management cannot be binding in government as they would be when dealing with corporate management. Any deals made with the executive, whether it be the governor, county manager or school superintendent must be implemented with funds which can only be provided by the legislative body which may well reject the executive’s agreement with labor. Even, if approved, the people still reserve the right to referendum or challenge through the courts. Then there is the aspect, Elmer Stoon © 1975 Sierra Features W/0.4--/4 “ONE THING YOU GOTTA WATCH OLIT FOR IS RACCOONS,Oe FBO BTBAL YA: BLIND ILM: ore eee e eee eas ee ete ara ys ee tele as ee 8 ee ef xy yee hardly mentioned so far in the legislative deliberations, of _openess in government. ‘The very nature of labor negotiations requires secrecy to avoid them degenerating into rhetoric. Recognizing that conflict SB 275 has sought to compromise by providing that the ‘initial’? proposal and counter proposal will be public records after. transmittal but provides no public access to the negotiation process. Nor are the employe demands for bargaining limited to the matters of compensation, fringe benefits, and work conditions. They extend to what is tantamount to a working voice in the management and conduct of the “‘business”. It’s almost like the privates wanting the right to tell the generals how to run the war. In any event, the formidable opposition which has arisen to employe bargaining proposals, would seem to have doomed anything but some weak compromise which will be unsatisfactory to most everybody. That this-seems a safe prediction is strengthened by the fact that the employes are not unanimous in support of any proposal. For example, Ken Brown, executive officer of the California Correctional Officers, a substantial segment of state employes, said in opposition, “It will effectively dismantle the present system of civil service employment. The question is whether we really want the union hiring hall procedures in state government?” Dance Sat., April 19th 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Country Cowboys Admission *2.50 Folsom Community Club House PUBLIC NOTICE es PUBLIC NOTICE & STATE OF r% : the

CALIFORNIA, "Steuer "Bireclors “of the COUNTY OF Nevada ony Sanitation District No.1. Resolution No. , NEVADA ‘ BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MINUTES April 1, 1975. Meetin 10:02 A.M., all Su present. Salute to Minutes approved mitted. : Board recessed and _ convened as the Nevada County Board of Equalization to consider the lication for Reduction in Assessment of Associated Students of the University of Calif. At the request of County Counsel this matter was continued until May 6, 1975 at 10:05 A.M. Board_recessed_as_Board of rvisors he flag. as subcalled to order at. 75-6 tepproving agreement between the Di Northwest Construction Company) was adopted. Meet ng adjourned; Board of Supervisors meeting called back to order at 10:21 A.M. The record shows that Supervisor Turner disqualified himself from robe pl gis in the Sanitation istrict meeting. Communications and Department Head matters presented and considered.» Ordinance No. 703 amending -Section L-VI 1.3, 1.4, 1.5; 1.6, 1.8, 1.10, 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, Highway 49 scheduled for improvements More than $128 million in construction funds has been advanced to make use of the recent release of federal funds ‘by President Gerald Ford. In addition to the advanced projects, the state will also use $57 million of the impounded money for various other purposes including right-ofway acquisition, planning and research, highways, and construction by local government. Projects being advanced to use impounded money include construction of nearly one and one-half miler of two-lane expressway on Highway 49 between two and one-half miles north of the South Yuba River and Birchville-Tyler Foote Crossing Roads, at an estimated cost of $1,300,000. ‘Highway 49 in’ Sierra county will undergo construction of a truck passing lane about two and one-half miles-east of the Yuba county line at an estimated cost of $210,000. Now Freedom Shares Sat. & Sun. at 2PM. Dan Russell Arena Folsom City Park General. Admission.. . . . $3.00 Students . User Byes) 82.00 Sponsored By The Folsom Rotary Club 1.16 and repealing eae 1.17 and 1.18 Chapter VI, Article 1, Land Use and Development Code (Criteria for Septic Tank Leaching Systems) was adopted. Hjalmer ere representative to the Bicentennial Commission, presented the Board-with a Certificate of Recognition of Nevada County as a bicentennial community and the Official Bicentennial Flag. Board recessed for lunch. AFTERNOON SESSION: Meeting called to order at 1:30 P.M. A Public Hearing was held on the Lake of the Pines Assessment District. Testimony was -taken from . attorneys representing . specific parties affected by the proposed district and also from ahaa owners within the propos: district. The hearing was continued by adoption of Resolution No. 7577, until May 6, 1975 at 3:00 P.M. The record reflects that at all times during this hearing and discussion _ thereon Supervisor Turner disqualified himself from any participation. . Ordinance No. 704 amendin Chapter IV, Article 1, throug Article 9 of the Land Use and Development Code of the County of Nevada (Subdivision Ordinance replacing Articles 1 through 9, Chapter IV of the Land Use and Development Code) was adopted. Supervisor Turner is noted absent from-voting. Lengthy discussion was held on the minimum lot size and illegal lots. Staff was directed to draft an amendment to the urgency ordinance regarding minimum lot sizes on sewer and public water so that there will be no. minimum on existing lots that have sewer and public water. There being no_ further business the meeting adjourned at 5:45 P.M. . THEO. A. KOHLER, JR., Co. Clerk & Ex-Officio ‘Clerk, Nevada County Board of Supervisors, State of California, do. hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct excerpt of the Minutes of the meeting of the Board of Supervisors held April 1, 1975. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, . hereunto affix hand and official seal of said Board this 7th day of April, 1975. THEO. A. KOHLER, JR. Co. Clerk & Ex-Officio Clerk Nevada County Board of Supervisors BY: JEANETTE HILLMAN Deputy Clerk to the Board Date of Publication: April strict and . 16,1975. CLASSIFIED AoS 10. Crafts and Services ROBERT L. ROSS, JR. OPTOMETRIST 147 Mill St., Ph. 273-6246 °shee ee eee ee ean ‘April 16, 1975 Wed., The Nevada County Nugget 7 =~ Prrees