Dear Editor,
Re: ‘Backpay for unvaxxed unfair,” Letters, April 14
Editor Eve Edmonds’ “note” to last week’s published letter “Backpay for unvaxxed unfair,” requires correction.
Ms. Edmonds asserts that, because the matter was decided in mediation, it “was not the city’s decision” to pay back-pay to those city workers who remained unvaxxed and were therefore put on unpaid leave.
As readers who have worked in management or been active in a union know, any mediated settlement requires the agreement of the parties to the dispute.
If the parties cannot agree to a settlement, only then does the matter proceed to arbitration and only then would the result be “not the city’s decision.”
So the city, and that means either George Duncan, the city’s CAO, and/or council (likely during an in-camera meeting) would have had to agree to the mediated back-pay settlement agreement.
If it can be established that council agreed, and it was not an agreement within Mr. Duncan’s discretion, then not a single member of the current council who voted for the settlement will receive my vote again in the fall election, as this settlement is grossly unfair to all those city employees who did the responsible thing and got vaccinated.
Volker Helmuth
RICHMOND
Editor’s note: Fair enough.
