STPUD board not unanimous in contract vote
By Kathryn Reed
On a 3-2 vote Thursday afternoon, the South Tahoe Public Utility District board approved a three-year contract for employees that calls for raises of at least 6 percent and up to 9 percent in that time period.
Voting no were Chris Cefalu and Randy Vogelgesang.
“I can do the 2 percent cost of living. I cannot cap it at 9 percent,” Cefalu said at the Sept. 4 meeting. “My decision has been known all along.” He thought 9 percent was too high.
Vogelgesang, though, changed his mind at the meeting. He suddenly was having issues with the three-year agreement. He said he wanted to be responsive to ratepayers who have concerns about the contract.
“Right now talking about it is not the time because we made the union an offer,” General Manager Richard Solbrig responded. “If you pull it off the table, there are consequences.”
Had the offer been changed or not approved, the district would have faced state sanctions regarding unfair labor practices.
The board adopted the agreement at an Aug. 15 special meeting. Cefalu was not at that meeting and Vogelgesang said he didn’t remember that decision.
Two members of the public spoke at Thursday’s meeting. Pamella Bondor-Wenziger, who attended meetings in the spring when rate increases were discussed, questioned why the public doesn’t have a say in salary increases.
Board President Eric Schafer assured her she was being heard, but it will be for future boards to take any action on what she had to say.
Kenny Curtzwiler said he believes the incoming board, of which there will be at least one new member (Schafer is stepping down) and the potential for two, should be deciding on the contract.
Schafer said the five seated were elected to do a job, were capable of doing it and those decisions should not be kicked down the road.
This is the second salary increase for STPUD employees in the last two years.
The board in November 2012 unanimously approved a four-year contract for the union and two-year for management that was retroactive to July 1, 2012. Union members received between a zero and 13.31 percent pay hike, while the management group increase was between zero and 14.1 percent. About two-thirds of the 92 union employees received a raise.
There are now 110 employees in the union and 17 managers not represented by the union.
The 2012 contracts allowed for salaries to be discussed at the two-year mark, which is now. Discussions about management wage increases are ongoing.
More details of the current contract are in this Lake Tahoe News story from Aug. 29.
Well gee they got their raises, only three of us showed up today, which I believed help to get at least one of the members to vote NO. Just think if of all you whiners on here showed up. Schafer is leaving TG as he was bought out by the union, I would vote out that Jim Jones for the pompous arrogant person he is and that he also sold out to the union for years! Plus vote out that Kelly women who sold out to the union to get her sit, this will be their MO status if they remain on board, FIRE THEM!.
Even Schafer commented about the apathy regarding the community of South Lake Tahoe and also how it could positively affect their vote in our favor.
Well There’s your news report, good bye ole apathy Lake Tahoe and welcome to another STPUD rate increase!
Chris Cefalu and Randy Vogelgesang, Thank you for voting no on this wage increase for STPUD employees!
At least a few good people on the board have some common sense AND a sense of what the community wants!
Thank you again for doing the right thing! OLS
With current buy in to owning housing in SLT probably calling for a wage of around $50K-$100K a year, ……..
I’m pretty surprised and very disappointed by Kelly’s vote. I thought she was for locals and understood the economic pressure we are all under. I guess I won’t be going to Steamers Bar anymore. I guess she won’t get my vote next time either.
Facts, I apologize. We are an apathetic town. Thanks for standing up.
Thanks Randy and Chris for watching the budget. 9% is just too much when our economy is just starting to improve for some of our residents.
We will continue to get what we vote for and if we continue to re elect Jim Jones for the STPUD district board. We deserve the results that we get as a community with these excessive rate increases and without a close eye on spending.
I do not like STPUD, how can you do this? Raise rates and give employees ANOTHER raise. Forget you.
Thank you Randy and Chris! The voters will remember. The bully UNION, there will be consequences. They could go on strike and walk the picket line and I am sure there are plenty of people that would cross the line to work for those wages and benefits. Lets get some help for Randy and Chris in November!!! VOTE
According to Kae’s report last week the Union ratified the contract. The STUPD Board “adopted” the contract August 15th at a special meeting w/o all members present. Ironically one of the “no” votes did not attend that meeting and according to him others knew his position. “We made the union an offer,” “If you pull it off the table, there are consequences.” General Manager Richard Solbrig states.
Sounds like political horse trading without regard to the constituants served.
Apathy?? How about futility. I’ve attended meeting in the past and I’ve seen time after time the same placating rebuffs Ms.Bondor-Wenziger received from Schafer. Or STUPD spending over 2hrs forcing their agenda on the audience at a meeting designed for public comment, to which there was very little.
Regarding attendence – this I can no longer endure.
Good Job Randy and Chris !
I personally don’t approve of three year contract negotiations and would like to see COLA raises one year at a time.
Unfortunately what this does again is precede management’s raise negotiations ( which always follows ) to also be for three years and along the same percentage.
I’de like to see the two be entirely separate negotiations not influenced by each other.
I have nothing against STPUD employees and management ( who all do a great job ) receiving a reasonable COLA but doing it one year at a time keeps it more in tune with the current economic conditions the rate payers have to live with.
Really…. our STPUD bills are very high. Field workers make $40+ per hour plus benefits. We need to stop this, because it is not a reasonable wage. I wish I had the time to research how we could have more control over STPUD, or get an alternative. This is not against the workers – it is against the force that is shoving these rates down our throats.
I don’t know who sets the agenda, but we need to have local agenda issues heard FIRST. We can ask the City Attorney what we can do about these issues – he works for us (or is supposed to).
Suck it up and enjoy your new water meters.
Instead of being so mad at the employees for getting a raise, maybe we should encourage our fellow workers to UNIONIZE. See what it can do for 100 employees, imagine if the hospitality workers in this town unionized, they (we) would have some power finally. While I agree a rate increase is not desirable it’s hard to blame the employees for bargaining for and getting something that I’m sure we all would like to have, a great wage for good work.
We need to vote in board members that will LISTEN to the voters, it is our district. VOTE in November!!!!
Last but not least, because I attended this bogus fixed meeting, I was harassed yesterday by a drive by STPUD employee.
Yep the one who offered the information about turning our drinking water brown if any of us dare to mess with their union.
Isn’t that a threat of domestic terrorism?!
Facts: I bet Homeland Security or FBI would like to hear about that. That’s like saying I have a bomb at the airport.
You are correct sir, however this STPUD employee is a chronic habitual lair and that is a FACT, this person will simply deny it, thus their word against mine, that could turn into hear say.
BUT this person did tell me from the stand point that all the unionized STPUD employee’s were threatening to do this sabotage among themselves during one of their planned union strikes.
Thank you for commenting, but they seem untouchable due to the VERY soft,docile and timid management verses a very strong union thug mentality over at STPUD.
I don’t what else to say anymore