AWWA JTMGT64463

Union Sanitary District in Union City, California has developed innovative approaches to recruiting and developing talent in response to increasing difficulty recruiting qualified candidates to replace retiring employees. In addition to the need for journey-level employees, the District recognized that a generation of management employees was also nearing retirement age. In order to continue to be successful, new leaders were needed who embraced the District's team-based, collaborative structure. All of the initiatives were either developed jointly by District Management and SEIU 790 (the Union that represents all the District's classified employees) or were management initiated but supported by the Union. Most of these programs began as pilot programs, until they developed a successful track record. These include: development of a Plant Operator III Trainee Position that requires the candidate to become certified by the California Water Resources Control Board as an Operator III within 2 years of hire; development of a lead worker position in Collection Services through a joint process with the Union; alternate staffing, by which employees can be promoted into a higher level of their classification by demonstrating knowledge, skills and abilities; in-house presentation of Leadership/Management training; rotating Team Coordinators, selected by their teammates for 1-2 year terms; and, overlapping of new hires with soon-to-be retirees, up to one year, and cross-training within teams in order to transfer knowledge and skills. Today's market for talented employees requires unique, innovative solutions, tailored to each utility's needs. Traditional recruitment methods and classification systems are not enough to fill the gap created by retiring employees. Using a collaborative problem-solving process, USD tries new approaches, looks for talent in new places, teaches new employees what they need to be successful, and then works to keep them. Union Sanitary District faces the same challenges as other water and wastewater utilities in attracting and retaining skilled, talented employees. USD's circumstances are further complicated by being located in the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the most expensive places to live in the country. The District faces this challenge through innovative initiatives that include collaboration and joint problem-solving with employees and the Union. All classified employees are represented by Local 790 of the Services Employees International Union (SEIU). The Memorandum of Understanding with the Union includes an agreement to jointly review long-range staffing needs and make recommendations to the Executive Team. Some of the initiatives discussed in this paper were developed as a result of this planning process. Others were initiated by management but developed with and supported by the Union. Includes 4 references, table.