ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOX) – The Slay Administration is on the defensive, explaining a document that new St. Louis city employees are being asked to sign.

Joan Williams with the Carpenter’s Union, which represents about 500 city employees, says the agreement exploits new hires and forces them to agree their benefits can be unilaterally changed by the city.

Williams calls the tactic very devious. “What you do is take someone in the most vulnerable position that they’re in, trying to gain employment.”

Mayor Slay’s Chief of Staff Jeff Rainford says this wasn’t the mayor’s idea.

“Some of our new employees were given conflicting information,” Rainford said. “Unbeknownst to the mayor, the city counselor recommended that the personnel department ask new employees to sign that document.”

Rainford says under existing law, local cities can impose contract changes on employees, if good faith labor negotiations fail to yield results.