Worried unions watch Legislature

Change in law could affect current school district negotiations

By Kate Hayden, khayden@charlescitypress.com

Public employees in Charles City are keeping eyes to Des Moines as a GOP-proposed collective bargaining reform bill made it’s way to the debate floor on Monday evening.

While supporters say the bill will restore labor control to local boards and officials working with public employee unions, critics are worried the bill will tear at Chapter 20 protections, limiting negotiations down to base wages instead of including provisions such as insurance and overtime compensation.

The bill went to debate on Monday night, and could potentially be signed by Gov. Terry Branstad this week with any resulting amendments.

Uncertain negotiations

A change in the law could throw Iowa school district negotiations back to the starting line if teachers and administrations have already begun discussions. The Charles City district began negotiations with staff and educator’s initial proposals on Feb. 2, and the administration was scheduled to make their proposals on Thursday.

Tyler Downing, chief negotiator for the teachers’ union Charles City Community Education Association, said the association has already been in direct contact with the Charles City district administration over the proposals. Eighty-eight percent of district teachers are members of the Charles City Community Education Association, Downing said.

“It affects both –– the district wants good teachers, and the teachers want pay and good benefits. It’s equally important on both sides to watch what’s (happening),” Downing said.

The bill exempts emergency workers from the reforms, but limits collective bargaining for insurance, holidays, overtime compensation and other formally negotiated provisions for public employees.

“The insurance part is a huge impact for teachers,” Downing said. “The precedent in the past is we’ll give up salaries to keep benefits. Over the years we’ve accepted lower wages to keep benefits, and it’s coming back to bite us … Our benefits could be reduced at some capacity.”

The surprising introduction of reforms by Republican legislators is concerning, Charles City Superintendent Dr. Dan Cox said.

“It’s concerning to me as a superintendent and to the school board the way that all of this has happened,” Dr. Cox said. “It wasn’t a campaign platform anybody ran on that I recall, it doesn’t appear that it’s been entered in a bipartisan fashion.”

The legislation would give school districts more control over the yearly negotiations. When asked if the Charles City Board of Education has ever discussed a need for more control, Dr. Cox responded, “That has never been a topic at the board meeting that I’m aware of.”

“Restoring local control is an easy way out for legislators to use that as to why this is necessary,” Dr. Cox said.

Should the proposals become law, Dr. Cox said, district administration will give the teachers’ union time to review new parameters before negotiations for school year 2017-18 begin again.

“Our board remains committed to making sure that we have well-paid employees with good benefits and working conditions,” Dr. Cox said.

“I think the district and the teachers both understand the impact that could happen,” Downing said. “Both are willing to work together for the benefit of the district. Both sides understand that. We want what’s best for kids, that’s our bottom line.”

Impacts on the city

The line of impact on city workers is less clear in Charles City, where police, emergency dispatch and street department employees negotiate under one contract.

“My understanding is it may not affect us very much. We are public safety,” emergency dispatcher and department representative Alan Schwickerath said. “We can still affect things like insurance. The street department may not be able to.”

Any changes in negotiations would come down to what the state rules as emergency or public safety employees, Charles City Administrator Steve Diers said. Charles City renegotiates contracts every two to three years with public workers, and will be reviewing contracts starting this fall.

“Everybody there I would consider emergency workers … There’s a possibility it might not impact us at all,” Diers said. “If there ends up being some differentiation between what is and isn’t an emergency worker … it would certainly make a difference.”

“We’re all kind of waiting to see how this comes together, whether it be this or the budgeting shortfall at the state,” Diers added.

Although the changes may not directly impact public safety workers, Schwickerath said he is personally still concerned the bill takes away right to representation.

“It totally concerns me because it takes away collective bargaining powers. It should concern everyone that it weakens the unions,” Schwickerath said.