HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity of Tamarac Resolution R-2003-135Temp Reso. #10166
Page 1
June 10, 2003
CITY OF TAMARAC, FLORIDA
RESOLUTION NO. R-2003 - / 3'S—
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF
THE CITY OF TAMARAC, FLORIDA AUTHORIZING
THE APPROPRIATE CITY OFFICIALS TO SEEK
GRANT FUNDING IN THE AMOUNT OF $125,000
FROM THE FEDERAL MEDIATION AND
CONCILIATION SERVICE THROUGH THE LABOR-
MANAGEMENT COOPERATION PROGRAM TO
SUPPORT THE TAMARAC EMPLOYEE SAFETY
COMMITTEE AND ENHANCE THE CITY'S SAFETY
PROGRAM PROVIDING FOR A $12,500 CASH
MATCH AND A TOTAL PROJECT COST OF
$137,500; PROVIDING FOR CONFLICTS;
PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; AND PROVIDING
FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the City Commission of the City of Tamarac desires to support the
joint labor-management Tamarac Employee Safety Committee and enhance the City's
safety programs; and
WHEREAS, the Tamarac Employee Safety Committee is the City's first joint
labor-management committee that involves representatives from the International
Association of Fire Fighters, the Federation of Public Employees, and management; and
WHEREAS, the Tamarac Employee Safety Committee and the Human
Resources Department, Risk & Safety Division, propose to enhance the City's safety
program utilizing a dedicated Safety Coordinator; and
1
Temp. Reso. # 10166
Page 2
June 10, 2003
1
WHEREAS, a Safety Coordinator will assist the Tamarac Employee Safety
Committee and the Human Resources Department, Risk & Safety Division in achieving
regulatory compliance and creating injury and loss prevention programs; and
WHEREAS, the cooperative efforts of the Tamarac Employees Safety
Committee and the enhanced safety program can result in a safer work environment,
increase employee morale, lower turnover, and heighten the image of the City of Tamarac
as a safe place to live and work; and
WHEREAS, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, through the Labor -
Management Cooperation Program, provides funds to support joint -labor management
committees; and
WHEREAS, the grant request is $125,000, providing for a $12,500 match, and
a total project cost of $137,500, to include the salary and benefits of a Safety Coordinator
for 18 months, office furniture and computer equipment, and additional specialized safety
training programs; and
WHEREAS, the City Manager and the Director of Human Resources recommend filing
of the application (attached hereto as "Exhibit A"); and
WHEREAS, the City Commission of the City of Tamarac deems it to be in the best
interest of the citizens and residents of the City of Tamarac to submit a grant application in
the amount of $125,000, providing for a $12,500 City match, and a total project cost of
$137,500, to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service through the Labor -
Management Cooperation Program to support the Tamarac Employee Safety Committee
and enhance the City's safety program.
Temp. Reso. # 10166
Page 3
June 10, 2003
n
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY
OF TAMARAC, FLORIDA:
Section 1: The foregoing "WHEREAS" clauses are hereby ratified and confirmed as
being true and correct and are hereby made a specific part of this resolution.
Section 2: The appropriate City officials are hereby authorized to submit the Labor -
Management Cooperation Program grant application (attached hereto as "Exhibit A") and
made a part hereof requesting $125,000 providing for a cash match of $12,500 for a total
project cost of $137,500.
Section 3: All resolutions in conflict herewith are hereby repealed to the extent of such
conflict.
Section 4: If any clause, section, other part or application of this Resolution is held by
any court of competent jurisdiction to be unconstitutional or invalid, in part or in application,
it shall not affect the validity of the remaining portion or applications of this Resolution.
Temp. Reso. # 10166
Page 4
June 10, 2003
Section 5: This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption.
PASSED, ADOPTED AND APPROVED this 25t" day of June, 2003.
ATTEST:
MARION SWENSON, CMC
CITY CLERK
I HEREBY CERTIFY that
I have approved this
RESOLUTION as to form.
JOE SCHREIBER
MAYOR
RECORD OF COMMISSION VOTE:
MAYOR SCHREIBER
DIST 1: COMM. PORTNER
DIST 2: COMM. FLANSBAUM-TALABISC
DIST 3: COMM. SULTANOF
DIST 4: VIM ROBERTS
;. MITCHELL S. KRAFT r �)
CITY ATTORNEY
1
1
L-.1
TR 410166
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Exhibit "All
Labor -Management Cooperation Program
City of Tamarac, Florida
Tamarac Employee Safety Committee and Safety Coordinator
Grant Narrative
DRAFT
Problem Statement
The City of Tamarac is having difficulty reducing the number employee
injuries and safety incidents. The City's management and the City's two labor
unions, the International Association of Fire Fighters, Local 3080, and the Federation
of Public Employees, District 1 intend to address this issue and develop a better
safety culture. Several challenges exist in accomplishing this goal. Labor
employees indicate that safety -related suggestions are not implemented quickly
enough. Employees are also reticent about providing information about accidents
and incidents. Front line supervisors feel that there is insufficient safety training both
initially and on an on -going basis. Management desires a strong safety culture, but
they must also consider resource constraints when prioritizing projects and
programs.
Of particular concern are the on -duty strain and sprain injuries and vehicle
accidents. A large majority of these incidents are preventable. With 396 employees,
the City has had an average of 45 injuries requiring medical attention per year over
the last six years as indicated in Appendix A. Nearly 40% of the City's injuries are in
the strain and sprain category. Vehicle accidents account for a large number of
safety incidents. Although they do not all result in injuries, 34% of all safety
incidents involve a City vehicle. The City's insurance rates have also risen as a
result of the frequency and severity of injuries and reportable incidents. The
average cost for an injury in 1998 was $2,961; in 2002 the average cost jumped to
$4,562. These costs only include indemnity, medical, and legal expenses and do
not capture additional costs such as overtime to fill vacant positions, retraining,
downtime, or property and equipment damages.
These accidents and injuries affect the health and well-being of employees,
decrease productivity, increase costs, and are detrimental to the morale of
employees. Labor and management realize communication should flow freely in
both directions. The relationship between labor and management in the City is not
adversarial, however communication issues exist. Both labor and management are
committed to improving the safety culture, and to that end, the first joint labor-
management committee in the City was created in October of 2002. The new
committee, the Tamarac Employee Safety Committee (TESL), meets to discuss
safety issues and make recommendations for improvements to the City's safety
programs. Members of both labor unions and management participate in the
Page 1 of 4
Tamarac Employee Safety Committee and Safety Coordinator
DRAFT
committee. The Risk Manager acts as an ex-officio member of the Committee and
coordinates the Committee's activities.
While the TESC was a good first step in improving the labor-management
relationship and communication among the parties, the committee has found it
challenging to address the wide variety of safety issues the City confronts. There is
no designated staff member to collect information, develop programs, implement
suggestions, or evaluate outcomes. The TESC has proposed the addition of one
full-time staff member, with experience in developing and implementing safety
programs, to create a comprehensive safety program and help the TESC create a
safety -conscious atmosphere throughout the City.
Benefits Expected
The TESC is unique because it brings together employees in different jobs,
represented by different unions. These employees are working together for the first
time and working with management for the first time to address issues of mutual
interest and concern. The addition of a dedicated Safety Coordinator will enhance
the efforts of the TESC as the individual will be able to commit the time necessary to
address employee and management concerns and serve as a communication bridge
between labor and management. The Safety Coordinator will develop a
comprehensive safety program to address the most pressing safety issues facing
the City, as well as the developing long-term goals and objectives to increase the
overall health and safety of employees. With the implementation of the new
position, and through the continued efforts of the TESC, a new safety culture will be
fostered.
Approach
The initiation of the TESC was a good first step in achieving better labor
management relations by addressing an area of common concern. Volunteers were
solicited to participate in the TESC, which is made up of representatives from the
operating departments at labor, supervisory, and management levels including:
Eddie Benitez, Transportation Supervisor
George Conroy, Public Works, Landscape Crew Leader
Fred Hoffman, Chief Plumbing Inspector
Scott London, Utilities Operations Manager
Lance Moll, Parks Superintendent
Duane Pierce, Firefighter/Paramedic
Doug Ritchie, Public Works Operations Manager
Rick Ruh[, Water Plant Operator
Kingman Schuldt, Assistant Fire Chief, (Chair of the Committee)
Wayne Thies, Planning & Zoning Manager
Patty Tomaszewski, Risk & Safety Manager (ex-officio member)
Page 2 of 4
Tamarac Employee Safety Committee and Safety Coordinator
DRAFT
Safety meetings are also held in the operating departments. The Utilities Department
and Public Works Department also have sub -committees to address specific safety
issues within their departments. The TESC is investigating forming additional safety
sub -committees in other departments to help reduce accidents.
To date, the committee has met seven times. Their focus has been on the
accident investigation procedure and developing the role of TESC and department
sub -committees and identifying means to gather input from all employees. By
examining accident and incident data and statistics, the Committee determined that
strain/sprain injuries and vehicle incidents were a high priority. However, the
Committee does not have budgeted funding and it is limited in what can be
accomplished without additional resources.
Currently, the Risk Manager acts as a staff liaison for the Committee. Recent
growth in the City, expanded special event programs and improvement projects,
increased deductible claims handling requirements and regulatory compliance
initiatives have greatly increased the workload in the Risk Management Division.
Daily activities such as maintenance of the drug -free program, medical surveillance,
contract reviews, claims administration, and training consume the current staffs
workload capacity. Although the Risk Management Division's daily activities help
lower over liability, they do not make a sufficient impact in safety prevention
activities.
Increasing population and business growth have created additional demands
on the City's limited resources. Federal funding to support the creation of a new
Safety Coordinator position and program will provide the seed money necessary to
get the program started. Once the program has been developed, cost savings
projected from decreased accidents and incidents will help offset the costs of
maintaining the position in the City's budget.
The TESC will work with Human Resources and the Risk & Safety Manager
to develop a job description and general expectations for the new Safety
Coordinator. The City will seek an individual with sufficient knowledge and
experience to get the program up and running as soon as possible. Although the
City has collected some statistics on injuries and incidents, it has little information
regarding the general safety attitudes and knowledge of employees. The Safety
Coordinator will assist with collecting this information to help identify strengths and
weaknesses of the existing programs and help target the highest priority issues.
Major Milestones
TESC and Human Resources to develop a job description for Safety Coordinator
Hire a Safety Coordinator
Page 3 of 4
Tamarac Employee Safety Committee and Safety Coordinator
DRAFT
Safety Coordinator to collect information about safety attitudes and concerns
Research and identify a new safety tracking software program
Safety Coordinator works with TESC to develop goals and objectives for
comprehensive safety program
Safety Coordinator creates programs to address priority safety issues
Safety Coordinator researches and identifies a consultant for vehicle safety program
Safety Coordinator and TESC monitor results of newly implemented programs
Evaluation
The Risk Management Division tracks accidents and incidents for all
departments. The new program will be evaluated in several ways. The primary
indicator of success will be a reduction in accidents and incidents tracked using the
new software program. Feedback will also be collected from employees who
undergo safety training to continually improve the process. Through TESC
members, feedback will also be solicited from all departments and all levels on
safety needs. Finally, after the programs have been implemented and have been in
place for a year, another survey will be conducted with management and employees
regarding safety attitudes and concerns to gage the overall success of the program.
Budget
Safety Coordinator Salary (18 months) $ 62,250
Benefits $ 20,880
Office Furniture
$ 1,000
Telephone & Installation
$ 470
Computer
$ 1,500
Safety Tracking Software
$ 5,000
Vehicle Safety Consultant/Program
$ 30,000
Other Safety Training
17,400
TOTAL
$137,500
Page 4 of 4