By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Hays city commissioners voted 4-1 to postpone Tuesday’s vote on opting out of the Public Employer-Employee Relations Act (PEERA) and union negotiations.
Commissioner Lance Jones, who originally requested discussion of the matter, voted no.
Jones doesn’t like negotiating with the three employee unions consisting of 61 members instead of the entire group of 178 city employees. “The city’s Wage and Benefits Committee already represents all employees,” Jones said during last Thursday’s work session discussion. “They give staff general direction on what employees want to see regarding wages and benefits, which is primarily what the unions are seeking.”
Last night Jones thanked the union members present in the commission chambers, noting the emails he and the other commissioners received were “both for and against opting out of PEERA. To take the time and energy to do that and represent your unions and your point of view, I appreciate that.”
The commission’s decision to postpone the vote and further discuss the issue was taken prior to hearing from union representatives in front of a standing-room-only crowd.
Hays firefighter Brandon Woods, president of International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Local 2119, urged the city commission to keep continued coverage of PEERA.
“There have been no strikes or interruptions of service to the public,” Woods noted. He continued reading from a prepared statement saying “employee grievances have been resolved in a fair manner. Public employees in these jurisdictions know they have a method for resolution of disputes.”
Woods also had suggestions for shortening the negotiation process and utilizing a system of time limits. “Parties can begin negotiations early, negotiate more often, and set schedules for reaching the various phases of negotiations,” said Wood. All 18 employees eligible for the firefighters union are members.
The city spends about $20,000 annually during the negotiation processes, according to Asst. City Manager Jacob Wood. “That includes all the meetings, staff time, and city attorney time.” When the city and unions are at an impasse, “there are more meetings and the more it costs the city” to hire an agreed-upon mediator or another third-party fact finder, if necessary.
Corporal Phillip Gage of the Hays Police Department is president of Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge 48, the city’s biggest union. Of the 43 eligible employees in the police department, 27 are union members.
“Our group would really like for us to stay under PEERA,” Gage emphasized, “so we can still have that communication between the employees’ elected representative when it comes to speaking on their behalf at the city when it comes to wages and other benefits so can still have that conversation through negotiations. We’ve been doing that for over 40 years. I think it should still continue.”
Esau Freeman, Wichita, is the business manager of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). There are 52 eligible employees of whom 16 are SEIU members.
“While I will agree with you I think it was a great idea to form the Wage and Benefit Committee, my concerns are that the union is an organization that has elected officials based on what the employees themselves choose,” Freeman said. “While we do have dues that people pay, our union has always been very open to take input from anyone, member or non-member, as long as they’re in the bargaining unit,” he added. Dustin Anderson, an employee of the Public Works Dept. Service Division, is president of SEIU Local 513.
Members of the city’s Wage and Benefit Committee are volunteers, 8 to 10 employees, from across all city departments, according to Asst. City Manager Wood. He is a member, along with Human Resources Director Erin Giebler.
“I support what you guys do as a union,” Hays Mayor Shaun Musil said after the three representatives spoke. “I don’t think it’s a 100 percent must to have the unions, but I don’t have a problem that we do. We’ve had some back and forth negotiations but I think it’s all been pretty civil.”
Musil is more concerned about the impact of declining sales tax on the city’s overall budget.
“We can’t always give you what you want because we have to go with what we have. As we see sales tax dollars continue to decline, my opinion is, that’s a bigger issue than what we’re dealing with today,” Musil said.
All 178 Hays city employees, including the 61 members of the three unions, received a four percent pay increase for 2018.
Assistant City Attorney Todd Powell told commissioners last week “the governing body does have the final decision” on employment wages and benefits.
The city of Hays has been under PEERA since 1972.
Commissioners will discuss the issue again at their Dec. 7 work session.