Northwest Iowa — The vast majority of eligible state and local government workers in bargaining units have voted to retain their union representation.
Danny Homan is president of the Iowa local for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees — the AFSCME union.
A new state law requires “recertification” votes before each round of contract talks with public sector workers. Over the past two weeks, members of 436 local bargaining units have voted to remain in their union. State officials say 32 bargaining units will be dissolved as a result of the balloting. Ninety-eight percent of the “locals” represented by the Iowa State Education Association retained the union. The AFSCME union faced recertification votes in 42 bargaining units. One of those 42 units will no longer be represented by AFSCME. Two of the four eligible Carroll County Conservation Board employees voted yes and a third cast a void ballot. Homan, though, is challenging the decision on that ballot.
As a result of this month’s voting, the Service Employees International Union will no longer represent nearly 200 nurses at Broadlawns Hospital in Des Moines. About a third of the 32 bargaining units that will be dissolved were part of the Teamster Union, representing bus drivers, county jail employees and road crews. The Iowa State Education Association will no longer represent teachers in Glidden-Ralston, North Linn and Sigourney School Districts. A majority of teachers who voted in those districts cast ballots to stay in the union, but teachers who did not cast ballots were counted as “no” votes under the new state rules. Iowa State Education Association president Tammy Wawro called that an “unreasonable standard.” Homan, the AFSCME union’s Iowa president, says it’s an unfair hurdle.
More than 28-thousand Iowans cast ballots over the past two weeks in these recertification elections. If their public sector employers negotiate one-year contracts, there’ll be another round of voting like this a year from now.
In our area, union retention elections were held in four school districts, the area education agency, one city, one county, and Northwest Iowa Community College recently.
The Boyden Hull Education Association has 52 employees on the voter list, so they needed 27 to retain their union, and received 42. There were 4 “no” votes.
The George-Little Rock Education Association has 41 employees on the list, so they needed 21, and got 39. There weren’t any “no” votes.
The Harris-Lake Park Education Association has 33 employees on the list, so they needed 17 and got 31. There weren’t any “no” votes cast.
The MOC-Floyd Valley Education Association has 116 employees on the list, so they needed 59, and got 105. Five people cast “no” votes.
The area education agency serving our area — the Northwest AEA — has two unions. The Associate Professional Staff Association has 52 members, so they needed 27 and got 42. There weren’t any “no” votes cast. The Northwest AEA Professional Staff Association has 164 members, so they needed 83 and got 158, with two “no” votes.
Northwest Iowa Community College’s support staff association has 27 members, so they needed 14 votes and got 15, with zero “no” votes. NCC’s Area IV Community College Education Association has 37 employees on the voter list, so they needed 19 and got 33, without any “no” votes.
The City of Orange City’s Iowa Council 61 has 18 employees on the voter list, so they needed 10. All employees voted unanimously to keep the union.
In Osceola County, their Iowa Council 61 for the Sheriff’s Office has 15 members, and all 15 voted to keep their union. Osceola County’s PPME #2003, which represents the County Road Department workers has 16 on the voter list. They only got 4 “yes” votes, so they will NOT be keeping their union.
