01/27/1975 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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. v. Purchase, Eugene P~dicab - Council was advised of proposal from William R. Davenport for city purchase and operation of Eugene Pedicab service operated during the summer ofl974. The sale would include eight pedicabs plus parts for $7000. Staff evalua- tion indicated that although the pedicabs were a valuable and colorful transporta- tion service, the 1974 operation was too limited in time to test the potential for the service. Also, it was doubtful the service would be self-supporting. Re- ferral to the budget committee was recommended if Council was interested in assum- ing the service. Staff felt the city was not in position financially to assume the operation as a service subsidized by the public and recommended against pursuing the matter further or spending staff time on it. Councilman Murray expressed interest in proposing to Mr. Davenport the purchase of less than the eight vehicles or perhaps a lease/option arrangement for acquiring the service without extensive staff involvement in the process. Mayor Anderson questioned whether the city should become involved in transportation saying it , might be a desirable proposition for the Eugene Downtown Association or even the Transit District. Consideration of the purchase, he said, would be inconsistent with the current budget climate and go!ng into the budgeting process with the idea of starting no new programs. Councilman Williams agreed and said the operating cost would probably be the major item to consider in view of Manager's statement that a review of the Pedicab brief operation showed earnings somewhat less than half of operating costs not taking into account amortization of equipment. Councilwoman Beal thought that if EDA were interested in lOOking at the proposal the city might suggest that they 'consider using it for package delivery as well as trans- portation. Manager suggested that if the Council felt the city should not become involved Mr. Davenport would be the one to contact EDA or the Transit District rather than the city. Camm 1/15/75 File e Consensus was that the city should not become involved; no action ",as taken. w. FLSA Lawsuit, NLC - Manager distributed to Council copies of National Public Em- ployer Labor Relations Association bulletin concerning stay ofenforc~ment of 1974 amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act. The bUlletin related current status of challenge filed by the National League of Cities - preliminary injunction .refused by a district court on basis of a Supreme Court decision which appeared to be to the contrary; subsequent motion to Chief Justice Burger. Justice Burger's statement granting the stay was read in which he said the brevity of time available to the district court and to him as circuit justice made it inappropriate to take final action in view of the pervasive impact of the judgment upon every c;ity and county in the nation and novelty of legal questions raised. Manager said it was his understanding that the NLC intended now to pursue the suit to conclusion with the Supreme Court. He said staff concern was not with the question of mlnimumwage but with the constitutional question of personnel practices mandated b~ the Federal government. Staff felt everything possible should be done to retain the city's authority to manage its own affairs without interference from the Federal govern- ment, inclUding bargaining with the city's employe groups. He suggested'some financial support to the,NLC in its pursuit of the issue. . Frank Jackson, president of Fire Fighters Local 851, and Carol Houston, president of AFSCME local, spoke in opposition to the city's involvement in the lawsuit. Mr. Jackson said such involvement would put the union in the position of consider- ing the Council an adversary employer. He said any employe benefits resulting from the FLSA would ultimately come back to the bargaining table. Also, that the city had the opportunity for representation at the time of consideration of the law in , the Con~ress and that the law should be allowed to stand as wri tten. Hs.Houston said the AFSCHE local would go on record in opposition to the city's position, that the law was sponsored and supported by organized labor, and that although local employes had not been affected, public employes in other areas would be. Bill Nidever, chairman of the Eugene Police Patrolmen's bargaining committee, expressed support of the city's position. He commented on the negative aspects of the Act so far as the police were concerned, especially in the areas of train- ing, overtime pay in place of compensatory time off, hours required to work and resulting expense to the community. 31 1/27/75 -. 21