The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday agreed to terms for a possible deal that would end a legal standoff with the union representing Department of Water and Power employees over a pair of nonprofit trusts.
The DWP’s Joint Training Institute and its Joint Safety Institute, formed more than a decade ago to soothe union tensions, have been getting about $4 million per year, but City Controller Ron Galperin refused to release the funds after the start of the fiscal year July 1, because the head of the DWP’s union refused to the open the books on the trusts for an audit.
But today the council agreed to sign off on this year’s payment if the trusts cooperate with Galperin’s audit. If a deal is struck, Galperin’s audit would go back one year, and analysts in the City Administrative Office could comb through spending as far back as five years.
Brian D’Arcy, head of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 18, which represents DWP employees, said the council took an “important step to protect the DWP’s more than 8,000 workers” and would try to break the stalemate.
L.A. City Council President Herb Wesson called the offer “the beginning of a huge conversation.”
Council members said the offer represented the views of all city leaders. Aside from allowing the audit, the council asked for a dozen other conditions to be met.
Council members also want DWP General Manager Marcie Edwards and “other DWP managers or supervisor” appointed to the boards of the trusts.
And the boards, which have not met for seven months, would have to start meeting regularly.
The union objected to a two of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s appointees, but a judge ruled that the appointment of a legal adviser to Garcetti and a DWP commissioner were properly made.
Council members said the offer was made to avoid jeopardizing a labor agreement billed to save taxpayers $456 million over four years.
