KTLA News: "Tom Bradley and Councilman Robert Stevenson on new ordinance for city salaries" (1974)

[KTLA Reporter, Carlos Aguilar] The men who worked out the salary ordinance for the city, Mayor Tom Bradley and Councilman Robert Stevenson will not say so, but this contract may have averted a strike, by city employees against City Hall, because of wage disparities. [Mayor Tom Bradley] We're very pleased today to, announce the signing of the salary ordinances, affecting some sixteen thousand city employees. Ah, this represents a breakthrough in a number of ways. First of all, we've had on the books, an ordinance that would make possible what we call the meet and confer process. Where, representatives of city employees would meet with our staff, to try to negotiate their wages and, ah, fringe benefits. That system really had not been working for the past, ah, couple of years. [Bradley] And through the efforts of Bob Stevenson, who was the chairman of the Personnel Committee during this process this year, [Bradley] ah, we were determined to make the system work. [Bradley] and it took a great deal of agonizing, but, ah, we finally came up with, [Bradley] ah, [Bradley] salaries, [Bradley] and fringe benefits, [Bradley] that were, acceptable by both sides. By management, [Bradley] and by employees. [Aguilar] Wage increases for city employees averaged out at eight and a half percent, [Aguilar] which will cost the city seven million dollars more than expected for the budget. [Aguilar] And that'll come out of the reserve fund. There are still two major groups that have not come to the bargaining table. City police and firemen. Carlos Aguilar, Channel 5 News, at City Hall. [Reporters, unintelligible] traffic control. [L. A. City Councilman Bob Stevenson] Hmm. [Stevenson] Yes, pretty big action. [Bradley] Let me know when you're ready. [Reporters, unintelligible] [Bradley] now to strike. [Bradley] Now in face of the, ah, serious strike situations that have occurred in other parts of the country. We think that this was a major coup, for this city. I'm delighted that we've been able to do it. I think the, ah, major thing to come out of it, was the fact that, we finally made a system that  was three years old, work this time and I'm grateful to Bob Stevenson for his efforts in bringing that about. [Bradley] Bob. [Stevenson] Well, Tom, ah, [Stevenson] But it would not have been possible without, I think some forty odd, and various meetings, ah, with Mayor Bradley saying, "Make it work. "Don't go overboard. Don't give the city away. But, "arrive at a fair, "and equitable distribution of, ah, "of our resources to the people who work for the city." And without that help, ah, I or any other chairman could not have possibly, ah, ah, come up with any kind of a contract. [Camera noise] [Reporter, unintelligible] [Reporter] This, ah, path looks good for employees in the future but it doesn't look so hot for the city government. [Reporter] Will we see strikes in the future by these employees? We've had one in Fresno recently. [Bradley] Well, we are assured that these employees are not going to strike this year. Nobody can guarantee what's going to happen next year. No one could have told us last year that we would have had the, cost-of-living increase, hit us so hard as it did this year. And that's the reason for the, increase that amounted to about eight and a half percent average for most employees. Ah, we didn't like this. But frankly we didn't, make it. [Laughing] And, ah, we had no control over it. [Reporters unintelligible] [Bradley] Frankly, the, [Bradley] union representatives, the firefighters, have agreed to the, [Bradley] offer that was made by the city. [Reporter] What was that? [Bradley] And they have recommended, ah, [Bradley] the approval of, of, ah, [Bradley] those salaries and fringe benefits. [Bradley] That's now being ratified by the membership. [Reporter] What will, [Bradley] I believe that it will be ratified. [Reporters, unintelligible] ratified for all [?] [Bradley] We don't expect that there is going to be that kind of, ah, [Bradley] disagreement, not a lasting disagreement. [No audio] [Bradley] This is an agreed upon, [Bradley] ah, salary and fringe benefit proposal. [Bradley] Agreed upon by the negotiators, [Bradley] on both sides. [Reporter, unintelligible] [Bradley] It will be taken from the reserve fund. That's one of the reasons that we wanted a healthy reserve fund, as the budget was presented. [Bradley] It will not in any way, unbalance the budget. [Reporter] Can you give us a little bit of a average [?] [Bradley, soto voice] About seven million more than, than had been anticipated. [Reporter] Mayor Bradley, ah, yesterday the Council talked about, [Bradley] close to the salaries paid to the top management. [Bradley] That is a problem that I think we have, [Camera noise] ah, [Bradley] a series of executive salaries and work out some new arrangements. [Bradley] clear indication from members of the Council is, [Bradley] Bob has indicated to me, and as I have heard it, [Bradley] is that these changes, [Camera noise] [No audio] [Bradley] Bulk of the mail that has come to my office, ah, has expressed opposition to, nudity on the beaches, ah, period. [Reporter] Mayor Bradley, I wonder if