The Billings City Council was set to approve contracts Monday for private firms to do the janitorial work at the new city hall and at the operations center, replacing current city jobs.
However, after the employees' union raised concerns, the city administrator advised putting off that decision.
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The city currently has four full-time employees and two part-time workers on the custodial staff at those two buildings.
“We have four facilities maintenance members that would ultimately lose their position,” said James Soumas, Teamsters Local 190 Secretary-Treasurer. “It bothers me what these four individuals are going to face.”
Soumas says initially the city notified the workers they would be displaced at the end of January.
However, that was before the union filed a grievance.
“The city is contending that there's language in our collective bargaining agreement that would allow them to seek a contract or an outside contractor to do the work if it can be proven that it's a savings cost savings to the city,” Soumas said. “I don't agree with that."
The city estimates the move would lead to a savings of roughly $51,000 next year alone at the new city hall and more than $55,000 a year at the Billings operation center.
Soumas also questions the estimated savings.
“What I find is some discrepancies with the actual amount of man hours,” Soumas said. “So to me, it just seems like there's some discrepancies that we need to talk through and figure out first.”
After hearing from the union, city administrator Chris Kukulski asked that the city council delay approving the contracts for the companies that would clean the operations center and city hall.
“The city believes it has contractual rights to enter subcontracts in accordance with Article 2.2 of the Teamsters Local 190 collective bargaining agreement,” Kukulski said at the city council meeting on Monday night.
The contract states in part, “the union recognizes the employer has statutory and other rights and obligations and contracting matters relating to municipal operation.”
The contract also states “the city agrees that no contract or subcontract that would directly impact the union or its members will be entered into without an evaluation…”
“The administration is holding off on its recommendation to enter into the custodial contracts,” Kukulski said.
“We'll vet that all out through the grievance process and we'll see where that lands,” Soumas said.
