10/31 Weekly Email
Hi all,
Happy Halloween! Not to be a downer but I have a quick PSA based on something I read this week that may be the most important part of this email - apparently children are three times as likely to be hit by a vehicle on Halloween than any other day of the year. If you’re going trick-or-treating please make sure everyone in your party is wearing something reflective and pays attention to the road. UAEA wants everyone to have a fun night while also being mindful that drivers may not be paying full attention.
MOU Negotiation. UAEA has requested that the City re-open the MOU this year to negotiate a new policy related to Union Business (UB). Our attorney Kathryn Baillie has come up with a proposal that we believe meets the new standards set by the Arizona Supreme Court and will allow us to continue operating with minimal, if any, disruptions. I will send an email out this coming week that outlines exactly what we plan to negotiate for and members will have an opportunity to comment then. Resolving this issue is currently the single most important topic for our group - if we can’t find a solution to the UB time problem we will lose thousands of hours of time our board uses each year to run this organization and our capacity will be greatly reduced. While we want to negotiate for wages, our current contract also does not allow that until late 2025. I’m sure many members are eager to see some changes on that front and we will put together a negotiation research/prep team this coming Spring.
JDQ Update. Segal put together a brief presentation for Tempe Employee groups this week that explained where they were at in their JDQ analysis and how their research was being conducted. They did not provide any updates regarding possible wage changes as the study is incomplete. This presentation and related information will be published on the Bridge soon after Segal makes some changes that will hopefully make the presentation a little easier to understand. I’ll let members know when it's up if HR doesn’t send out an email.
Training. Employee Development sent out an email with upcoming opportunities this week - I’ve attached a copy if you were unable to see it. I strongly recommend trying to attend the Crucial Conversations class sometime during your tenure with the City - it’s an internationally-recognized course that gives people some really solid tools for navigating difficult interpersonal communication. I do think they may have buried the lead though - they note at the end of the email that they also offer one-on-one coaching opportunities on a variety of topics. The whole ED team is incredibly knowledgeable and deeply committed to improving the skills of Tempe employees - If you’re interested in promoting over the next few years I strongly recommend taking advantage of these opportunities.
Events. Tempe Town Lake is celebrating its 25th anniversary this coming weekend on Sunday, November 3rd! There will be activities, live music, and food trucks from 11AM to 2PM at Tempe Beach Park, as well as free t-shirts for the first 500 attendees. The weather should be perfect as well - Sunday should have a high of 70F and a low of 50F. Find more information here.
Elections. Election Day is this coming Tuesday, November 5th, 2024. Please refer to my 10/17 email or Tempe Personnel Rule 501:D-5 for information on taking time off during the workday to vote. Please also refer to Section 401:B for rules pertaining to political activity and discussing election-related information in the workplace. In general, in order to avoid possible violations of Tempe Personnel Rules, it is probably best to not discuss politics in the workplace with either fellow employees or citizens.
Thanks for the great week all! Just as a heads up, please keep an eye out this coming week for information on our Holiday Party and a new Employee of the Quarter program!
All best,