REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: TJ MILLER, Interim Director
Personnel Services Department
BY: Stephanie Hernandez, Principal Labor Relations Analyst
Personnel Services Department
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to Hiring Incentives and Referral Incentives for Qualified Police Officer Recruits, Lateral Police Officers, and Lateral Emergency Services Dispatcher II/IIIs:
1. ***Approve a Side Letter of Agreement with the Fresno Police Officers Association (FPOA), for Unit 4 - Non-Management Police, regarding Police Officer Lateral Hire and Referral Incentives and Police Officer Recruit Hire Incentives (Subject to Mayor’s Veto).
2. ***Approve a Side Letter of Agreement with the Fresno City Employees Association (FCEA), for Unit 3 - Non-Supervisory White Collar, regarding Emergency Services Dispatcher Lateral Hire and Referral Incentives (Subject to Mayor’s Veto).
Body
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that Council: (1) approve a Side Letter of Agreement with FPOA which renews the provision of hiring and referral incentives for qualified lateral Police Officer hires and a hiring incentive for Police Officer Recruit hires; and (2) approve a Side Letter of Agreement with FCEA which renews a provision for hiring and referral incentives for qualified lateral Emergency Services Dispatcher (ESD) II/III hires.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
To assist with continued efforts in achieving the City’s hiring goals in Fiscal Year 2024 for Police Officers and ESDs, Council is asked to approve a Side Letter of Agreement with FPOA to renew the provision of a $15,000 hiring incentive and a $1,000 referral incentive for qualified lateral Police Officer hires from other California police agencies, and the provision for a $5,000 hiring incentive for Police Officer Recruits; and renew the Side Letter of Agreement with FCEA which provides a hire incentive of $4,000 and a $1,000 referral incentive for qualified lateral ESD II/III hires. The respective side letters with FPOA and FCEA would be retroactively effective July 1, 2023.
BACKGROUND
Lateral Police Officer and Police Officer Recruit Side Letter of Agreement
In 2015, Council approved a Side Letter of Agreement with FPOA which provided hiring incentives for lateral Police Officers and a referral incentive for current Fresno Police Officers who referred lateral hires through June 30, 2016. The Side Letter of Agreement has been renewed each year since with Council approval in recognition of the competitive employment environment for experienced Police Officers. The Side Letter will renew provisions for lateral Police Officer and Police Officer Recruit hires to address recruitment and hiring challenges and encourage lateral Police Officer and Police Officer Recruit candidates to accept positions with the Fresno Police Department.
Side Letter Provisions
Lateral hires are eligible for forty (40) hours of Vacation Leave and forty (40) hours of Sick Leave upon hire, a payment of $3,750 upon hire, $3,750 upon completion of the Police Department’s field training program, $3,750 upon successful completion of probation, and $3,750 after an additional one year of service following the completion of the probationary period. This equates to a value of $15,000 in hiring incentive pay and eighty (80) hours of Sick/Vacation Leave per lateral Police Officer hire. Additionally, lateral Police Officer hires will be credited with years of sworn service in previous employment for the purpose of determining vacation accruals.
In order to qualify for the incentives, a lateral Police Officer hire must be currently working for another California law enforcement agency, meet minimum qualifications for a lateral Police Officer, and must be hired by the Fresno Police Department.
Current City of Fresno Police Officers who refer a qualified lateral Police Officer will be eligible for a $1,000 referral incentive paid in four increments at the each of the metric points outlined for lateral hires above.
Police Officer Recruits are eligible for a payment of $2,500 upon hire and $2,500 upon successful completion of the Police Department’s field training program. Police Cadets who are attending the Police Academy and are sponsored by the Fresno Police Department at the commencement of the Academy under the Police Academy Sponsorship Program are not eligible to receive the Police Officer Recruit Hire Incentive upon appointment as a Police Officer Recruit.
The Side Letter is retroactively effective July 1, 2023 and expires June 30, 2024, but can be renewed upon mutual agreement of the parties.
ESD II/III Lateral Side Letter of Agreement
In 2018, the City Council approved a Side Letter of Agreement with the FCEA which provided hiring incentives for lateral ESDs and a referral incentive for current ESDs who referred lateral hires through June 30, 2019. The Side Letter Agreement has been renewed annually in recognition that the employment market for experienced ESDs is extremely competitive and to assist with continued efforts in rebuilding Emergency Services Dispatch staffing levels. The Side Letter will renew hiring incentive provisions to provide a useful tool in the recruitment of experienced ESDs, expand the referral incentive from ESDs who refer lateral ESD hires to include all FCEA employees who refer lateral ESDs, and eliminate the five-referral limitation.
Side Letter Provisions
Lateral hires are eligible for forty (40) hours of Vacation Leave and forty (40) hours of Sick Leave upon hire, a payment of $1,000 upon hire, $1,000 upon successful completion of a Police Department ESD training program, $1,000 upon successful completion of probation, and $1,000 after an additional one year of service following the completion of the probationary period. This equates to a value of $4,000 in hiring incentive pay and eighty (80) hours of Sick/Vacation Leave per lateral Police Officer hire. Additionally, lateral hires will be hired at the C Step or above.
In order to qualify for the incentives a lateral hire must have two years of consecutive experience in the three years immediately preceding application in a class equivalent to an ESD II with the City of Fresno and must be hired by the Fresno Police Department.
Current FCEA employees who refer a qualified lateral ESD II/III will be eligible for a $1,000 referral incentive paid in four increments at the each of the metric points outlined for lateral hires above.
The Side Letter is retroactively effective from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024, but can be renewed upon mutual agreement of the parties.
The City Attorney’s Office has approved the side letters as to form.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
By the definition provided in the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15378 this item does not qualify as a “project” and is therefore exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act requirements.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference is not implicated because this item does not involve public contracting or bidding with the City of Fresno.
FISCAL IMPACT
Lateral Hire and Referral Incentives do not require additional appropriations.
Attachments:
Side Letter of Agreement - Lateral Police Officer / Police Officer Recruit Hire Incentives
Side Letter of Agreement - Lateral ESD II/III Hire Incentives