Staff Report.TEA Side Letter Agreement
PREPARED BY: Salina Flores
Human Resources Director
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, Town Attorney, and Interim Finance Director
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 09/06/22 ITEM NO: 8
DATE: August 26, 2022
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Approve the Side Letter of Agreement Between the Town of Los Gatos and
the Town Employees’ Association to Modify the Vacation Accrual Cap
Through the End of the Last Full Pay Period in March 2023 and Authorize the
Town Manager to Execute the Side Letter
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the Side Letter of Agreement between the Town of Los Gatos and the Town
Employees’ Association to modify the vacation accrual cap through the end of the last full pay
period in March 2023 and authorize the Town Manager to execute the side letter.
BACKGROUND:
On August 19, 2021, the Town Los Gatos and representatives of the Town Employees’
Association (TEA) negotiated a side letter of agreement to acknowledge the staffing issues in
the Communication Division within the Police Department which resulted in limited
opportunities to use vacation or compensatory leave time. The Town agreed to allow a
temporary removal of the vacation accrual maximum cap and the compensatory time off
maximum cap through June 25, 2022. It was agreed that effective June 26, 2022, the vacation
accrual cap would be returned to 310 hours and the compensatory time off cap would be
returned to 100 hours. (Attachment 1).
DISCUSSION:
Subsequent to the Council approval of the TEA MOU dated July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2024,
staff met with TEA, negotiated and agreed on extending the side letter (Attachment 2) to
acknowledge the ongoing staffing challenges in the Communications Division within the Police
Department. The Police Department continues to recruit, hire, and train new Communication
Dispatchers but is presently at four with two in training out of eight budgeted positions.
PAGE 2 OF 2 SUBJECT: Approve the Side Letter of Agreement Between the Town of Los Gatos and the Town Employees’ Association to Modify the Vacation Accrual Cap Through the End of the Last Full Pay Period in March 2023 and Authorize the Town Manager to Execute the Side Letter DATE: August 26, 2022
DISCUSSION (continued):
In addition, the Police Department has hired a total of seven per diem Dispatchers to
supplement the full-time Dispatch staff in order to allow for better coverage, training, and
vacation opportunities with more focused training of new Dispatch staff.
This is a temporary side letter of agreement that will sunset on March 31, 2023.
CONCLUSION:
Staff has met its obligation to meet and confer with the Town Employees’ Association and
therefore, it is recommended that the side letter of agreement be approved, and the Town
Manager be authorized to execute the side letter.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The maximum fiscal impact of the side letter will be absorbed in the Police Department’s Fiscal
Year 2022/23 operating budget.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required.
Attachments:
1. 2021 Side Letter of Agreement
2. 2022 Side Letter of Agreement