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Public employees start voting to re-certify unions

By Kate Hayden, khayden@charlescitypress.com

Tuesday marks the start of a 14-day voting period for public employees in Iowa — and the outcome will shape the next two years’ worth of contracts in school districts.

Educators, law enforcement and other public employees have until Oct. 24 to re-certify unions as bargaining agents under the collective bargaining law approved in February by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by the governor.

If the associations don’t receive 51 percent “yes” votes from all union-eligible voters, staff contracts will be void starting immediately.

The problem, union leaders say, is just how unconventional the voting requirements are.

“Every member of the bargaining unit, whether they pay dues or not, needs to vote. 51 percent of everyone must say yes,” said Tammy Wawro, president of the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA). “If they don’t vote, their vote is counted as no.”

“What other election do you know of that the entire electorate has to vote?” she added.

Charles City public employees have a chance to learn more about the process on Tuesday at an open-house hosted by Ann and Todd Prichard. The event is meant to both inform public employees on how to vote, and to encourage them to spread the word, Ann Prichard said.

“It was a blow when the Legislature required us to re-certify,”  said Prichard, a Talented & Gifted instructor in the Charles City middle and elementary schools. “It’s the kickoff tomorrow, so people can go and tell other people how important it is.”

“We’ve talked to some policemen — it’s kind of a rally” for public employees, Prichard added. “Anybody who is certifying, they are welcome to come.”

District and state leaders are canvassing and re-canvassing to ensure as many public employees as possible understand their vote is required for re-certification.

If a local union does not re-certify its state bargaining agent, any master contract negotiated by that agent would be void starting Oct. 24 — and that union will have to wait two years before a new vote to certify a bargaining agent can be called. Salary contracts between an individual and the public employer would remain in place.

“We’re pushing to get the information out,” said Angie Holzer, president of the Charles City teacher’s association.

Out of 122 teachers in the Charles City district, there’s an estimated 23 who are not union members, Holzer said.

Employees can vote online or by phone through a third-party vendor.

“Every leader is taking this seriously. They don’t want to leave any stone unturned,” Wawro said. “Over the next two weeks I hope people will have grace. We will have no idea, we can’t know who or how many people have voted. We will only know the count.”

More than 1,100 public school and community college workers already voted to re-certify their bargaining agent in September, the Associated Press reported on Sunday.

This month’s voting period will involve about 34,000 workers in city and county government, education, law enforcement and other areas.

ISEA and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) have filed lawsuits arguing the collective bargaining law is unconstitutional.

Union leaders have questioned the Public Employment Relations Board’s interpretation that an existing worker contract becomes void if a union local doesn’t win recertification. The issue could lead to additional legal challenges, since such a contract is supposed to be in effect for several more months.

ISEA presented the arguments on Aug. 25, and the court has 60 days to deliver the findings, Wawro said.

“That’s one tool in this situation that we have, which is an attack on public workers, and quite frankly an attack on public education,” Wawro said. “A large chunk of the law was directed at educators.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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