To: Board of Supervisors
From: Monica Nino, County Administrator
Report Title: Public Hearing - Impasse with IFPTE Local 21 regarding Supervising Capital Facilities Project Manager classification specification revisions.
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1) OPEN public hearing on impasse with IFPTE Local 21 over revisions to the specification for the Supervising Capital Facilities Project Manager classification.
2) CLOSE public hearing; and
3) IMPLEMENT revised specification for the Supervising Capital Facilities Project Manager Classification as proposed by the County.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None.
BACKGROUND:
On April 11, 2025, Human Resources issued notice to IFPTE Local 21 of its intent to revise the specifications for the Assistant Capital Facilities Project Manager (NEWC), Associate Capital Facilities Project Manager (NEVA), Senior Capital Facilities Project Manager (NEHA), and Supervising Capital Facilities Project Manager (NEHC) classifications.
On April 18, 2025, IFPTE Local 21 responded to the notice and requested to bargain the above-referenced revisions to these classification specifications.
From April 18, 2025, to July 3, 2025, representatives from the Contra Costa County (“County”) and IFPTE Local 21 (“the parties”) bargained the above-referenced revisions to these classification specifications and reached agreement on revisions to the Assistant Capital Facilities Project Manager (NEWC), Associate Capital Facilities Project Manager (NEVA), and Senior Capital Facilities Project Manager (NEHA) classification specifications.
The parties did not reach agreement on the County’s proposed revisions to the Supervising Capital Facilities Project Manager (NEHC) classification specification. Specifically, the parties did not reach agreement on the County’s proposals to:
(1) modify the Licenses Required minimum qualification to permit candidates who possess a Certified Construction Manager credential accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) certification and issued by Construction Management Association of America’s (CMAA) Construction Management Institute to qualify for the classification without possessing a valid State of California Certificate of Registration as an Architect or Professional Engineer;
(2) modify the Experience minimum qualification to permit candidates with five years of progressively responsible architectural, engineering or project management experience to qualify for the classification without five years of full-time or equivalent experience as a professional architect or licensed engineer;
(3) modify the Experience minimum qualification to permit candidates to substitute a Master’s Degree with a major in architecture, engineering, construction management, business administration, public administration or a closely related field and two additional years of qualifying experience to qualify for the classification without a license; and
(4) modify the Experience minimum qualification to permit candidates to substitute five additional years of qualifying experience for the required license.
The County’s rationale for the proposed revisions to the specification for the Supervising Capital Facilities Project Manager classification is the following: (1) the public sector capital facilities project management field is moving away from requiring incumbents to possess an architecture or engineering license to perform the work contemplated in the classification specification; (2) many of the most experienced external candidates for this classification do not possess an architecture or engineering license; and (3) the existing licensure requirement imposes an artificial restriction on the County’s ability to recruit and select the best candidates for the Supervising Capital Facilities Project Manager classification.
On July 3, 2025, the parties jointly declared impasse over the County’s proposed revisions to the Supervising Capital Facilities Project Manager (NEHC) classification specification. IFPTE Local 21 did not request to submit the dispute to post-impasse mediation or factfinding. Accordingly, the Board of Supervisors may impose the County’s proposed revisions to the Supervising Capital Facilities Project Manager (NEHC) classification specification.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
The job specification would not reflect updated tasks, minimum qualifications, and knowledge, skills, and abilities.