Long Beach City Employees Ass'n v. City of Long Beach

Introduction

Interveners Charles Murphy and Jo Anna Ornelas, nonunion members of union-represented bargaining units, appeal from a trial court order awarding union-retained attorneys 3 percent of salary increase monies obtained as a result of litigation instituted by the unions (respondents Long Beach City Employees Association, Inc. and Los Angeles County Employees Association).

Statement of Facts

The City of Long Beach (City) and the Long Beach City Employees Association (Union) adopted several memoranda of understanding in July 1977. The memoranda provided for two salary increases for all members of the Union-represented bargaining unit, with the increases to become effective July 1 of 1978 and 1979. These memoranda were approved by the Long Beach City Council.

After Proposition 13 was passed in June 1978, the state Legislature enacted a bill (Sen. Bill No. 154) prtividing supplementary funding for local governments hard-pressed by Proposition 13’s effects. The bill added section 16280 to the California Government Code, and granted the funding to the local governments so long as local governmental employees received no greater salary increases each year than did…