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266 <br /> indicated that the City stood ready and willing at any time to meet and <br /> confer in good faith . He then read a prepared statement as follows : <br /> "During the morning of January 3rd , the City Adminis - <br /> tration was contacted by David Schulz , Editor of the <br /> Redwood City Tribune , who asked the City to participate <br /> in a secret negotiating session with SEIU Local 715 . <br /> The ground rules for this meeting included absolute pri - <br /> vacy and secrecy regarding the content of the meeting ; <br /> that the results not be published ; and that the Union <br /> delay its strike . The meeting began at 4 : 00 p . m . and <br /> continued until 6 : 00 a . m . <br /> The City negotiators attended this meeting solely in an <br /> attempt to avoid a strike , but the Union did not observe <br /> these ground rules and at 12 : 00 midnight , while the meet - <br /> ing was still underway , began the strike . Then , immedi - <br /> ately after the meeting , the secrecy of the meeting was <br /> breached and later that day the Union released to the <br /> press the City ' s last private position . We consider <br /> these actions a violation of good faith . <br /> In an attempt to avoid this strike , the City made a <br /> serious modification of its position and made an off- the - <br /> record proposal which included a substantial increase in <br /> wages , health premiums , and a number of other issues <br /> raised by the Union . The Union was advised that this <br /> package suggested by the City would become a formal <br /> offer , only if the Union negotiators agreed to recommend <br /> its acceptance by the Union membership . This the Union <br /> refused to do and started picketing, and the City has <br /> withdrawn its offer . <br /> The Union now states in the press and on its handout <br /> sheets that the only issue is arbitration . It is <br /> clear to those present in the all night meeting that <br /> the Union , in fact , bargained away this issue and sub - <br /> sequently put it back on the table . This is not the way <br /> agreements are accomplished . Anyone knows that agree - <br /> ments are not established in negotiations unless they <br /> are based upon a "package " which is acceptable . The <br /> package offered by the City was designed to avoid a <br /> 1/8/73 <br />