By Serdar Tumgoren – Staff Writer
Voters on Tuesday were in the process of defeating a measure
that could have boosted pay rates for top-paid employees of Santa
Clara County.
By Serdar Tumgoren – Staff Writer
Voters on Tuesday were in the process of defeating a measure that could have boosted pay rates for top-paid employees of Santa Clara County.
At press time, 57 percent of county residents had voted against Measure C, which would have allowed third party binding arbitration in wage disputes with county attorneys, correctional officers, and nurses.
“We don’t like binding arbitration because that takes the fiscal process out of our hands and puts it in the hands of someone who is not elected by the people,” said Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage. “It makes it difficult for us to manage our finances, because if a third party says they get a 20 percent increase, we have to pay it. There’s no way for the public to have any say in that.”
At press time 58 percent of voters had voted against Measure B, an amendment that would have allowed county voters final decision on figures set in binding arbitration. That measure would only take effect in the event binding arbitration received approval as part of Measure C.
Voters were more evenly divided on Measure A, an effort to base wage increases for county employees on private sector salaries instead of comparable public sector wages. At press time, slightly more than 51 percent had voted against the measure.
