There’s a lot of saber-rattling in the latest contract talks involving the county of Marin and its workforce.
The county government is the largest employer in Marin with 2,740 employees; that’s a reflection of a local economy in which the private workforce is not concentrated among large corporations, as well as the growth in the roles and responsibilities of local government.
The latest salvo, and perhaps the loudest yet, was the strike vote taken by members of the Marin Association of Public Employees, the largest union in county government, representing 1,471 employees.
The union is asking for a three-year contract that would ultimately raise salaries by more than 11 percent at the end of the contract. The county’s leadership has offered a three-year contract, but with raises that total about 7 percent.
No date for a strike has been set and MAPE’s leadership is hoping contract talks progress so that a strike can be avoided.
The party that is being left out of this process, however, are taxpayers, who are not privy to the facts and figures under discussion.
It wasn’t that long ago that Citizens for Sustainable Pension Plans, a homegrown public pension reform group, was pushing a reform aimed at providing the public with information regarding the dollars and cents that were being negotiated. After all, they maintain, those are taxpayers’ dollars.
Supervisors would not adopt the CSPP’s proposal, but agreed the county could and should do a better job keeping taxpayers apprised of the potential costs.
CSPP’s focus is on solving the county’s pension problem, a primary driver in rising taxes and government fees and reductions in some public services. How would the two proposed pay pacts affect the county’s ongoing pension debt?
Salaries are a defining figure for determining pensions. When they go up, so do the benefits, with taxpayers responsible for covering most of the tab.
Taxpayers deserve to see how pay and benefits for the county’s jobholders stack up against neighboring counties and public agencies with which Marin must compete to recruit and retain workers.
Taxpayers deserve to know what, if any, changes the county is seeking to reduce taxpayers’ ever-rising costs and risks when it comes to pension costs.
Post those figures on the county’s website.
County administrators say that on average, most of MAPE’s membership earns 7.8 percent “above the market rate.”
Show the public the numbers.
The union complains that most of the county’s workers live outside of Marin. Many say they can’t afford the high real estate prices in Marin.
That is a challenge for almost every Marin employer and employee — public and private.
MAPE is seeking the best possible contract for its workers. Its vote to possibly strike is a sign that its members are willing to walk the picket line rather than go to their jobs to force their issues.
Unfortunately, those who would pay for the strike would be the public that relies on the wide variety of services the county not only provides, but also requires. It is different than most private businesses that provide discretionary services.
Much of government services are not discretionary and the relative stability of its jobs is an attraction for many job seekers.
But public employees have a right to strike and they’ve wielded that weapon before.
We hope MAPE’s membership keeps the public and the consequences of the rising cost of local government in mind as it considers its strategy.
We also urge county officials to do more to apprise taxpayers of what’s at stake. They are negotiating with taxpayer dollars and taxpayers deserve to have a better idea of their representatives’ strategy and priorities — and the consequent short- and long-term dollar figures attached.