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City staff to vote on union today
Feb 19, 2009 (The Daily Republic - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Eligible employees of the city of Mitchell will vote this afternoon on the proposed formation of a union.
A union official and some employees have been lobbying for "yes" votes. Mayor Lou Sebert, meanwhile, said he was advised against making public statements that could influence the election.
Paul Aylward, executive director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 59, said he proposed the union on behalf of some city employees who contacted him. Those employees have never come forward publicly and declined this week, through Aylward, to speak with The Daily Republic.
Aylward said supporters of the union proposal are getting "positive feedback" from city employees.
"We believe that the people need to have a say in the workplace, and that this is how they will get their say -- by forming their union and having a voice," said Aylward, of Huron.
City employee unions exist in some other South Dakota cities, Aylward said, including Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Huron, Watertown and Vermillion.
According to a recent count, the city of Mitchell has 179 full-time positions. Fifty-nine of the positions already are eligible for membership in existing unions. Those union-eligible positions include 27 in the Police Division, nine in the Emergency Communications Division and 23 in the Fire Division.
Eighty-seven employees would be eligible for membership in the new union. Those employees come from every facet of city government except elected positions, supervisory positions, seasonal positions and positions already eligible for membership in the existing police, communications and fire unions.
Currently, aspects of non-union employee compensation, such as annual cost-of-living adjustments, are debated and decided publicly by the City Council. Contracts with unions are negotiated in private by representatives from the city and the union.
Mayor Sebert said this week that, on the advice of an Aberdeen-based labor attorney hired to represent the city, he would not publicly reveal his opinion about the union proposal. He did say, however, that he thinks the city "has a fair salary basis compared to private enterprise here," adding that he thinks the "benefits the city has are superior to most private enterprises in town."
Sebert said he sent a letter to city employees outlining some of his thoughts. Aylward viewed the letter as an attempt to "sway people not to vote to form a union."
"I think it may have had the reverse effect in some cases," Aylward said. "In fact, I've had employees tell me that."
The election will be conducted by state Department of Labor officials this afternoon in the Mitchell Recreation Center conference room. A majority vote of the 87 eligible employees -- 44 votes -- is needed to approve the union, no matter the turnout. In other words, a no-show is considered a "no" vote. Department of Labor officials said they are not likely to report the results publicly until Monday.
The ballot questions is "Do you wish to be represented for the purpose of meeting and negotiating with your employer by AFSCME Council 59?"
To see more of The Daily Republic, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.mitchellrepublic.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Daily Republic,
Mitchell, S.D. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For
reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or
847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group
Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
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