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Webster County Supervisors discuss bargaining changes

2017 law on public sector collective bargaining will affect 2019 contract negotiations

Some significant changes in public sector bargaining law which passed in 2017 will have an effect on upcoming negotiations between county officials and their county workers’ unions.

Webster County officials met for a discussion of the changes Tuesday morning.

“We have a little bit different lay of the land, and I think our planning process needs to change a bit,” said Renee Von Bokern, of Von Bokern Associates, of Urbandale. “We need to be thinking ahead a bit more.”

Von Bokern assists Webster County with its union negotiations.

The big change this year, Von Bokern said, was creating two categories of public workers.

Public safety employees, which for the county is just sheriff’s deputies, are subject to different rules than all other employees.

Jailers at the Webster County Jail are not considered public safety employees under these bargaining rules.

Other employees have seen large changes in their bargaining ability, she said, while public safety employees “basically retained all the bargaining rights they had prior to the change.”

In the past, there have been items which were required to be part of a collective bargaining agreement, some of which were prohibited from being included, and some for which the law was “permissive” and it was up to the individual county or union.

The big change for non-public safety employees, Von Bokern said, is “all the mandatory items have been crossed off. The only thing under the mandatory list is base wages.

“We have a lot of items from the mandatory column that went to prohibited. These items can’t be put into a collective bargaining agreement even if both parties agree.

“Chapter 20, the bargaining law, has been in place for a long time,” she went on. “I think there were certainly some things that needed to change. But I think this drastic difference between one group versus other groups is creating some challenges.

“The overall goal of most boards of supervisors is to try the best that they can to keep the benefit levels consistent among all county employees. That wasn’t easy before, and it’s even more of a challenge now.”

Changes have occurred to retention votes, on whether or not to keep a union or bargaining unit active, Von Bokern said. In the past all that was required was a majority of “yes” votes cast. Now, a majority of the union members must vote “yes” to keep the union active. That means if members don’t vote, it’s the same as a no vote.

County leaders and department heads have a role in helping the retention elections go forward, and it’s vital they get things turned in on time, she said. The system caused some confusion last year, and last year’s challenges can help this year go smoother.

“Last year there were 625 bargaining units that were due to expire, that had a vote,” she said. “The vast majority of units voted to retain the bargaining unit.”

This year, how the elections are paid for will change, she said, costing bargaining units more if they want to hold the vote they need to keep existing.

“I suspect some unions won’t pay the fee, and then there won’t be an election,” she said.

The board and a few department heads later moved into closed session to discuss bargaining strategy.

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