Hays superintendent recommends district opt out of PEERA, custodian negotiations

By CRISTINA JANNEY

Hays Post

The Hays USD 489 superintendent recommended the district opt of PEERA and future negotiations with its custodian union at a school board meeting Monday night.

Superintendent John Thissen said he was disappointed in the leadership of the custodian’s union and the direction that leadership was taking.

“I would say that it is not needed in our organization,” Thissen said of the union Monday night.

The city and county both opted out of PEERA in December, but Thissen said the school board’s discussion had nothing to do with those decisions.

An opt out from PEERA (Public Employer-Employee Relations Act) was placed on the school board’s agenda for January on the request of board members last year after negotiations with SEIU (Service Employees International Union) stalled a change in the district’s insurance provider.

There are 28 people covered by SEIU in the school district, 19 of which pay dues and are members of the union. The Hays school district is one of only two school districts in the state that negotiates with SEIU. The other is Wichita.

When the district first started to negotiate with SEIU, the cooks were also a part of the union. However, the district cooks have not been a part of the union for some time. There are about 225 classified staff that do not have union representation. The district employees about 500 people.

No one from SEIU was at the school board meeting Monday night, but SEIU released the following statement Friday to the Hays Post.

“The custodians of USD 489 value their collective bargaining rights and are hopeful that the school board will remain under PEERA. We appreciate that we were able to come to a fair and equitable agreement this year. We also understand that negotiations can be frustrating at times; however, collective bargaining aids in securing harmony in the workplace and allows employees to focus on their work rather than their grievances.”

Board attorney Bill Jeter said nothing necessarily has to change for the employees if the board decides to no longer recognize the union. The board would adopt salary, benefits, shifts and vacation via policy. However, the salary and benefits would not necessarily have to change if the district opted not to negotiate with the union.

There is a cost to negotiate with SEIU. The district has to pay staff and its attorney to be involved in negotiations.

Board member Luke Oborny said he did like the timing of a possible decision on PEERA. He did not want the custodians to think they were not valued. The district also approved several personnel transactions Monday night that moved custodians to alternate buildings.

“I just don’t want it to be, ‘Last month they were picking on me,” and, “This month they are picking on me and what is it going to be next month?’ I hope it does not look as though we don’t value our employees. … I don’t want any group to feel as though we don’t value them. I think it is safe to say that we all do. We cannot operate without the people.”

Board member Mike Walker said he had concerns with opting out of PEERA.

“If this structure provides a voice, a legitimate voice I am very concerned about taking that away,” Walker said. “If we decide it doesn’t have a legitimate voice, I am more in line with what I am feeling from most of the board.”

An opt out of PEERA would not affect the district’s negotiations with the teacher’s union. Th district would still be required by state law to negotiate with the Hays NEA.

If the district decides to opt out of PEERA by the end of June, the change would take affect on July 1, 2019. This means the district would still need to negotiate a contract with SEIU for the 2018-19 school year. The board members requested the issue be brought back to them at their February meeting for further discussion and a possible vote.