Organizing our communities to defend strong contracts & public services - PowerPoint Presentation

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Organizing our communities to defend strong contracts & public services

University of Iowa Labor Center

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Who are the public sector unions in your neighborhood?

Public sector bargaining under PERA

1974-present: 1,203 bargaining units organized in Iowa

State, county, municipal, school district

Many counties, cities, and school districts include multiple bargaining units

Dozens of different unions represent public sector workers in Iowa PERB web site database of all contracts Get SORTED lists (by ALF and by County) from IFL web site “Public Sector CBA” tab

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…and who are their employers?

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One year ago: HF291

Extreme new limits on collective bargaining

“Recertification” elections before each contract

Plus many other changes to arbitration standards, civil service rules, etc.

In this new world: bargaining power in public sector no longer comes from legal framework.

Contract outcomes depend on: solidarity, political influence, community pressure

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Just months ago: public employees affirmed how much they value local union contracts

In October: Out of 29,072 valid ballots cast by IA public workers:

28,448 voted UNION YES (98%)

624 voted NO (2%)

Of 468 total elections:

436 recertified the union

32 lost certification (in 22 of those, yes votes outnumbered no votes)

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before law passed: many employers worked with unions to keep contracts intact

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And Some state units ratified existing offers … with litigation still pending

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Just a few of the

iowa

public employers choosing to keep permissives in contracts…

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On the other hand: some employers immediately took full advantage, and others trying now

Local 2017 contract example:

Fort Dodge School District

2018 opening proposal example:

Keokuk School District

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Now Each time a contract expires:

choices in every

iowa community

Who has the power to maintain (or destroy) contracts?

What are the consequences if a contract is gutted or preserved?

What leverage do we have with local elected officials?What roles can WIN committees, labor chapters, union members play?

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What must employers bargain about?

Private Sector

1935-present:

Wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment

Other items are “permissive” (or prohibited)

Iowa Public Sector

Up until1974:

Nothing

1974-2017:

Wages, hours, and SOME terms and conditions of employment

2017-present:

Base wages

Other items are “permissive” (or prohibited)

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What is a “permissive”?

Any non-prohibited item that CAN be negotiated if both sides mutually agree.

Examples under current Iowa public sector law:

Grievance procedure

Seniority

Overtime Hours Vacation

Holidays

Leaves of absence

Health and safety

Training

Discipline and discharge

AND an INFINITE LIST OF OTHERS…

Core demand:

Keep all

permissives

in the contract

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Union Pres. emailed entire bargaining unit, recruited 50 members to 1

st

sessionMembers met & agreed to prioritize permissives

Members, community allies packed board

mtg

District offered higher raises, longer duration of contract in exchange for dropping

permissives

Workers held strong, kept all permissive topics

North

scott

school support staff (2017)

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Iowa City Schools:

Union members publicized district’s proposal to strip permissive topics on Facebook

Community allies called school board members

Iowans 4 Public Education released statement and recruited attendance at board meeting

I4PE, Iowa City Federation of Labor, School staff, parents, students, community members spoke in support of preserving contract

Iowa city school secretaries

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1:53:25

Ongoing struggles: Waverly city workers

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Support Council Bluffs City Employees

actionnetwork.org

The City of Council Bluffs has proposed to strip some employees of nearly every benefit they have. We should not be treating loyal workers this way. The City Council has the power to change this by instructing its negotiators to bargain over all subjects and to include them in the final contract. Please add your name asking the City Council and Mayor to treat our city employees with the dignity

 

Ongoing struggles:

Council bluffs city & school workers

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Ongoing struggles: lee county & Keokuk school district

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Rank-and-file members = strongest messengers

Meet with board and council members individually ASAP. Don’t assume they know anything about bargaining or their roles.

Struggles can be won, but it usually takes more than just one discussion or meeting.

Comprehensive approach: need for BOTH

PRIVATE discussions

and strong relationships with elected officials+ PUBLIC messages (and actions escalating over time as needed)Themes / lessons so far…

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Involving allies & using social media

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Unchanged in new law: Concerted activity rights

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Protected activities include…

Talking to coworkers about union issues

Wearing union logos, stickers, lanyards, buttons, t-shirts…

Circulating petitions or surveys

Distributing union literature (non-work times/areas)

Collective actions—rallies, pickets, demonstrations, job actions, group or public grievances, etc.

Meetings, lunch and learns, action committees, etc.

Speaking to press, public, elected officials

Involving citizens, students, clients, residents, patients, etc. in your struggle

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Talking to elected officials

I haven’t heard anything about what’s happening in bargaining. I’m not on the negotiating team.

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Talking to elected officials

Don’t worry, nothing is going to change for employees. We’ll move all the items from the contract into a handbook.

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Talking to elected officials

I’ve been told it would be illegal for me to discuss negotiations until the contract is settled.

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Talking to elected officials

Gee, what’s happened to collective bargaining is just terrible. We really need to vote in November and get the law changed back.

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Win & labor chapter roles

Use IFL lists to identify all public sector contracts up in 2018 & 2019 in your labor chapter or

ALF.

Reach out/meet with leaders of each affected public sector union

Meet ASAP with endorsed incumbents on boards and councils. Ask them to:

Commit (or recommit) to including (or restoring) permissives in all contractsIntroduce a resolution in support of collective bargainingPublicly express their support for collective bargaining, and lead board or council in making expectations clear to administrators and employer bargaining teams

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Win, lose, or draw…when we fight local battles, we build power

Engagin

local union members who’ve never been involved in local politics before

Building momentum 2018 elections and endorsements: who’s with us and who’s not?

Bringning

new unions and delegates into local labor chapters and WIN committeesEducating elected officials, the public, and the media about collective bargainingBuilding local power for the long haul

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Talking points

–Thank the Board for their work in leading the district. –Remind them that these contract agreements have been bargained in good faith for 40 years, and most topics can still be bargained. The majority of Iowa districts have retained permissive language.

–We want to retain the gains made in these agreements not only out of respect for today’s workers but also for those who have gone before. –If you are knowledgeable about the history of Chapter 20 in Iowa and Keokuk’s role in that history and could share about the long tradition of good-faith bargaining that brought us up to where we are today, that could be helpful for context.

–The proposals gutting contracts should never have happened, and the community’s strong reaction is justified.

–The Board should assure voters that they're going to take full responsibility for asserting their role in setting parameters for bargaining and other employment policy. They are the leaders responsible for setting the tone of employer-employee relations in the district.

-The people ultimately impacted by these decisions are the students, who need high-quality, happy teachers and public workers to create a positive and effective learning environment in the schools.