Title
Adoption of a Resolution Approving Workforce Changes at Alameda Municipal Power: A) Delete Four Positions of Electric Maintenance Technician; B) Add Two New Positions of Meter Technician and Add Two New Positions of Substation Technician; and C) Amend the Salary Schedule of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) to Add the Classification Titles of Meter Technician and Substation Technician, Effective April 2, 2017. (Human Resources 2510)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jill Keimach, City Manager
Re: Adoption of a Resolution Approving Workforce Changes at Alameda Municipal Power: A) Delete Four Positions of Electric Maintenance Technician; B) Add Two New Positions of Meter Technician and Add Two New Positions of Substation Technician; and C) Amend the Salary Schedule of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) to Add the Classification Titles of Meter Technician and Substation Technician, Effective April 2, 2017
BACKGROUND
Over the past several years, the General Manager, with the approval of the Public Utilities Board (PUB) at Alameda Municipal Power (AMP) has initiated a series of changes to facilitate workforce development. In support of these goals and to meet the direction and trends of a changing electric industry, staff has been analyzing and making recommendations to ensure that its workforce is appropriately allocated, classified and compensated. Staff will bring future workforce recommendations to the PUB and Council for their consideration, respectively, as they are realized.
The proposed resolution recommends the following:
• Delete four Electrical Maintenance Technician positions;
• Add the classification of Meter Technician and allocate two new positions to the classification;
• Add the classification of Substation Technician and allocate two new positions to the classification; and
• Amend the salary schedule of IBEW to reflect the new titles.
The Public Utilities Board adopted the attached resolution recommending the City Council to approve the proposed resolution. Five Electrical Maintenance Technician positions were funded in AMP’s Fiscal Year 2016-17 budget. Two positions are filled and three are currently vacant.
DISCUSSION
Electrical Maintenance Technician
Currently, employees in the classification of Electrical Maintenance Technician perform a wide range of journey level work in the testing, repair, and installation of electrical revenue metering and its component parts, electrical substation, and distribution equipment. Due to the implementation of technological advancements such as Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI), the workforce is transforming. Industry workforce trends and AMP’s consultants are recommending more specialized job classifications in order to improve the testing, repair and installation of advanced metering equipment, substation and distribution equipment, and their respective component parts. Based on this recommendation, AMP has developed two new classifications, Meter Technician and Substation Technician, to better represent the work to be performed in a variety of environments.
At its February 27, 2017 meeting, the PUB reallocated the funding of four Electrical Maintenance Technician positions to the proposed two new Meter Technician positions and two new Substation Technician positions, and recommends that Council delete the four Electrical Maintenance Technician positions. The one vacant Electrical Maintenance Technician position, which is currently funded as an Apprentice Electrical Maintenance Technician, will remain unchanged until staff further assesses its operational need. These positions will allow the Engineering & Operations Division of AMP to meet the more technical workload demands associated with the changes listed above.
Meter Technician
The Meter Technician classification will perform journey level work in the testing, repair, and installation of electrical single phase, polyphase, and primary revenue metering and its component parts, and operate equipment in a safe and efficient manner.
Substation Technician
The Substation Technician will perform journey level work in the testing, repair, and installation of electrical substation and distribution equipment, and operate equipment in a safe and efficient manner.
Staff met with IBEW and agreed that the two employees currently filling the position of Electrical Maintenance Technician will have the option to transfer to either the Substation Technician or Meter Technician position. Staff will then conduct recruitments to fill the remaining two vacancies.
The proposed hourly salary range for the Meter Technician and the Substation Technician is the same as Electrical Maintenance Technician: $47.14-$49.50-$51.97-$54.57.
Upon implementation of the above workforce changes, the net change to authorized positions count is zero.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
In the AMP Fiscal Year 2016-17 budget, the PUB approved funding for the five Electrical Maintenance Technician positions. At the February 27, 2017 PUB meeting, staff recommended to the PUB that instead of maintaining the two filled Electrical Maintenance Technician positions and moving forward with filling two of the three vacant Electrical Maintenance Technician positions, two Meter Technician and two Substation Technician positions be added. On an annualized basis at the top step, the cost of the four Electrical Maintenance Technician positions is equivalent to the cost of the two Meter Technician and two Substation Technician positions.
The cost of four positions is estimated to be $565,000 and will be included in the salary and benefits cost in the 2017-2018 Fiscal Year (FY). Current fiscal year vacancy savings from the two unfilled positions to be eliminated are adequate to cover the salary and benefits cost of the newly added positions. These new positions are expected to be filled prior to June 30. The impact from the addition of the new Meter Technician and Substation Technician positions will be limited to AMP. No direct impact on the General Fund is expected.
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
Adoption of a Resolution Approving Workforce Changes at Alameda Municipal Power: A) Delete Four Positions of Electric Maintenance Technician; B) Add Two New Positions of Meter Technician and Add Two New Positions of Substation Technician; and C) Amend the Salary Schedule of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) to Add the Classification Titles of Meter Technician and Substation Technician, Effective April 2, 2017.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Bronstein, Human Resources Director
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Elena Adair, Finance Director
Exhibit:
1 Public Utilities Board Resolution