LOCAL 2067
Remote Work Bargaining Update - October 2022
Updated On: Nov 16, 2022

October 2022

The City bargained with us for an additional 30 days and we have reached an agreement. The memorandum of agreement will remain in place until June 30, 2024 when our contract expires. It more clearly spells out the exception process for employees who want to work remotely more than the two days that Public Works management would like. That exception process also allows employees to request remote work days other than Monday and Friday. We also clarified that the eligible classifications are the classifications identified by HR. 

September 2022

As August draws to a close, we are also nearing the end of 90-days of bargaining over the Public Works Remote Work Policy. The policy seeks to limit employees eligible for remote work to 2 days of remote work and in some cases, to eliminate their eligibility all together. Despite numerous requests to explain why the City needs to reduce remote work by 42%, the City has refused to provide concrete reasons or data to support the Public Works policy. 

Here is the breakdown:

  • Of the 408 employees, 90 are currently working remotely (this includes 41 unrepresented employees) for 22% of the Public Works employees.
  • The policy's requirement to reduce remote days to 2 days per week reduces remote work by 38% for 55 employees.
  • Of AFSCME's 49 affected employees, 28 would have their remote days reduced by 42%. 
  • AFSCME's 15 staff assistants are currently not being allowed to work remotely despite working remotely for 18 months, even though their classification is eligible for remote work. They are not included in the 49 affected employees.

Unrepresented employees were notified that they must return to the office under the new policy guidelines, starting Monday, July 11.

The City introduced a proposal today which effectively wipes out all the progress we made over the past two months and allows them to implement the original policy. We heard a lot about how employees could get exceptions through an exception process they finally had to admit was not written down. They have promised to revise their proposal to clarify that exception process. 

Public Works appears to have its own ideas about how to implement Item 11.34 in Appendix 8 of the Salem Climate Action Plan which directs the City to "implement telecommuting and flexible work hour policies for City employees when appropriate for work assignments." Mandating employees who have successfully worked off site to be onsite Tuesday through Thursday is backtracking on telecommuting and flexibility.

At some point, you have to start wondering what other Council-adopted plans are being ignored. 


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Contact Info
AFSCME Local 2067
1400 Tandem Avenue NE
Salem, OR 97301
 

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