Title
Adoption of Resolution Amending the Alameda City Employees Association (ACEA) Salary Schedule to Amend the Work Week of Customer Service Representative and Lead Customer Service Representative Classifications from Thirty Seven and a Half (37.5) Hours Per Week to Forty (40) Hours Per Week. (Human Resources 2510)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jill Keimach, City Manager
Re: Adoption of Resolution Amending the Alameda City Employees Association (ACEA) Salary Schedule to Amend the Work Week of Customer Service Representative and Lead Customer Service Representative Classifications from Thirty Seven and a Half (37.5) Hours a Week to Forty (40) Hours Per Week.
BACKGROUND
Over the past several years, the General Manager and Public Utility Board at Alameda Municipal Power (AMP) have continued to identify ways to improve service to its customers. As part of this effort, it is recommended to increase the number of hours worked by employees in the classification of Customer Service Representative and Lead Customer Service Representative from thirty seven and a half (37.5) hours a week to forty (40) hours per week in order to extend the hours staff is available to provide services. Staff in these positions currently work seven and a half hours a day five days a week. With approval of this recommendation they will be scheduled for an eight hours a day, five days a week, resulting in an increase of two and half (2.5) hours per week.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City of Alameda and Alameda City Employees Association (ACEA), that governs the hours of work, covers the period of February 24, 2016 through December 27, 2018. The proposed resolution amends the work week of Customer Service Representative and Lead Customer Service Representative classifications.
DISCUSSION
The Customer Service center is currently staffed with six Customer Service Representatives. In the past the department also had a Lead Customer Service Representative classification allocated. This position is not currently allocated but is included in the recommendations in the event it is allocated in the future.
The public counter is currently open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. increasing the work day to Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. will enable AMP to extend the number of hours the public counter is open as well as increase the number of hours staff is available to take calls from customers and promote various programs to AMP’s customers.
This recommendation will result in the following benefits:
• The public counter will now be open from 8:30 to 5:00 every day except Wednesday when the public counter will open at 9:30 to allow for staff meetings and trainings.
• The phones will be answered from 8:00 am Monday through Friday with the exception of Wednesdays when they will close from 8:30 to 9:30 to allow for staff meetings and trainings.
• Increased public access on Friday and Monday, which are the two busiest days of the week in customer service.
• Increased customer service responsiveness to customers’ inquiries and promote various programs such as Alameda Green
Because of the increased number of hours in the work week, holiday, vacation and sick leave accruals will be increased to reflect the 40 hour work week. The employees base hourly wage will not increase but the increase in hours worked will result in an increase in annual salary.
The Public Utilities Board considered this recommendation on June 20, 2016 and passed a resolution recommending the City Council’s approval of the amendment to the (ACEA) salary schedule.
The recommendation has been discussed with Alameda City Employees Association (ACEA) and it is supportive of what is recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The increase in hours for the six allocated position is estimated to cost $23,000 a year in addition to the non-monetary increase in accruals. Funding for the Customer Service Representative and Lead Customer Service Representative positions are included in the Alameda Municipal Power budget and there is no impact to the General Fund.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
There is no Municipal Code/policy document cross-reference.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a project which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, CEQA Guidelines, section 15378(b)(5).
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a resolution amending the Alameda City Employees Association (ACEA) Salary Schedule to amend the work day of customer service representative and lead customer service representative classifications.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Bronstein, Human Resources Director
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Elena Adair, Finance Director
Exhibit
1. ACEA Salary Schedule