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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
APPROVAL OF IMPLEMENTATION OF COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENTS FOR NON-UNION EMPLOYEES PREVIOUSLY APPROVED IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2020 ANNUAL APPROPRIATION BILL
WHEREAS, in 2018 and 2019, the Cook County Board of Commissioners (“Board” or “Board of Commissioners”) approved various collective bargaining agreements including economic packages (wages increases and healthcare) for active members of the Cook County union workforce for the term of the County’s collective bargaining agreement, 2018 -2020; and
WHEREAS, union employees gave concessions to the County based on the County’s representation of its fiscal projections at the time, which included, but were not limited to, a non-compounding payment in lieu of a cost of living increase, step freezes, six to nine month delays of cost of living increases, and increases to pharmacy copays; and
WHEREAS, concessions of a non-compounding payment in lieu of a cost of living increase, six to nine-month delays of cost of living increases, and increases to pharmacy copays also were imposed on non-union employees; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 5 of the proposed Annual Appropriation Bill for Fiscal Years 2018, 2019, and 2020 provides, that in the event union employees receive cost of living increases and/or a non-compounding cost of living allowance or a step freeze, in a given fiscal year as a result of negotiated and approved collective bargaining agreements, non-union employees may also receive cost of living increases, non-compounding cost of living allowances and/or step freezes; such increases for non-union employees is further subject to the approval of the Budget Director, Chief of the Bureau of Human Resources and the Board of Commissioners; and
WHEREAS, in consideration of Section 5 of the Annual Appropriation Bill, the Budget Director, and the Bureau Chief of Human Resources worked together to recommend appropriate salary adjustments for the County’s non-union workforce, consistent with increases provided for the union workforce for Fiscal Years 2018, 2019 and 2020; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Commissioners approved the Annual Appropriation Bill for Fiscal Years 2018, 2019 and 2020, which included appropriation for all active union and non-union employees to receive negotiated cost of living increases; and
WHEREAS, Cook County Bureau of Human Resources implemented both concessions and cost of living increases for union and non-union employees equally as approved in previous years of the current collective bargaining agreements; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Board approval of the Fiscal Year 2020 budget, the Bureau of Human Resources is prepared to implement the same concessions and cost of living increases for non-union employees as previously provided to the County’s unionized workforce; and
WHEREAS, per the Board’s approval of the Annual Appropriation Bill for Fiscal Year 2020, all non-union employees shall continue to receive the same cost of living increases as union employees for Fiscal Year 2020; and
WHEREAS, effective the first full pay period on or after June 1, 2020 the pay rate for all non-union employees except those employees with a current annual salary of $200,000 or greater shall increase by 2%; and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the President and Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby support the implementation of equal application of the negotiated cost of living adjustments to union and non-union employees, as previously approved in the Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Appropriation Bill. end