City workers will get to bend the Chattanooga City Council’s ear before the body passes a new set of employee rules. But Councilman Moses Freeman says they won’t get into a tit-for-tat debate with city administration.
The council met with city human resources staff Tuesday to discuss some of the new provisions in the new employee handbook. And while several city employees and union representatives were there, they were not allowed to speak.
Saying that the administration had worked with employees throughout the 18-month process of developing the handbook, Freeman said the council needed to simply review the policies first.
“The 18 months in which employees had an opportunity to participate in this process has been very dynamic,” he said Tuesday. “But we are at the point now where I believe, in most cases where a union is involved, the conversation has to be focused.”
Instead, the council questioned the city staff about the new rules, and it will hear from employees during its agenda session next week.