Collective bargaining law will impact city employees

By: 
Kim Brooks
Express Editor

     The Express offers this series on the state’s new collective bargaining law, and how it will impact locals in the fields of public employment (city workers, healthcare employees, and those who work in our schools).

     On Feb. 17, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad signed a new collective bargaining law.

     This was, and continues to be, a contentious law, with Democrats arguing not enough time was spent debating the bill, and not giving enough time for state legislators to hear from their constituents in terms of how the potential law would effect them. Republicans said they gave 30 hours of straight debate in the House.

     Iowa House Democratic leader Mark Smith explained when the state first past the collective bargaining law in the ‘70s, “it took two years of lawmakers from both parties working together, listening to the public, and negotiating a solution.”

     Under this new law, public safety and non-public safety employees are separated. It’s important to note that correctional workers, those working within our state prison systems, are not considered “public safety employees.” Public safety employees are those working as state troopers, police officers, firefighters, and park rangers.

     Public safety employees are exempt from the law, allowing them to bargain for pay and benefits.

     For non-public safety employees, the law only allows them to bargain for wages, not benefits. This is a significant change from the previous law on the books. Those benefit include: health insurance, vacation, seniority packages, working conditions, overtime pay, and evaluation procedures.

     The new law also caps how much of a pay increase non-public safety employees could receive, a cap of 3 percent.

     “The city knows what it can afford,” said City Administrator Doug Herman of offering pay increases. “The city knows what it takes to hire good people. We know to treat our employees well enough to keep them and compensate them for their abilities.” Herman said that’s anyone would do when running a successful business.

     “If there’s inflation,” Herman added, “the legislature could change the percentage cap.”

     The City of Monticello has many employees that could be impacted by this law, however not for two years to come. Currently, the city is two years into a four-year contract with its employees. Herman said the collective bargaining changes wouldn’t go into effect until the contracts have to be renegotiated.

     “The collective bargaining agreement runs out June 30, 2019,” he said. “The law won’t come into play until we negotiate Jan. 1, 2019.”

     Those city employees soon-to-be affected will be the regular part- and full-time ambulance staff, with the exception of the ambulance director; all Public Works employees; and the two deputy city clerks.

     The Monticello Police Department is not longer part of a union, so they are exempt.

     “The police department negotiates with the city without a union rep,” said Herman.

     Since the city (Herman and the city council) has been negotiating with city employees, Herman said he has never seen any ill will come out of those discussions.

     “Monticello usually comes in more reasonably than other cities,” he noted.

     The last collective bargaining negotiations took just four hours until both sides came to an agreement.

     “Both sides were pretty reasonable out of the gate,” recalled Herman.

     Herman said he felt the previous collective bargaining law was perhaps more slanted to favor employees. Now, he sees it favoring the employer.

     While the law states that employee benefits cannot be negotiated, Herman said those topics could be discussed, just not within the legal negotiating proceedings.

     “They just don’t go way,” he said of the benefits.

     Herman said if the city took any of those benefits away, or tweaked them at all, the city could risk losing employees.

     “The law is just giving control back to the local government,” Herman said of the changes. “I don’t think employees see the new law and the state taking anything away.”

     Herman said any law that is 40 years old could use some changes.

     “Local control is a good thing,” he said. “They changed the law about as drastic as they could.”

     One of those changes centers on terminating employees.

     “It’s easier for employers to terminate now than in the past,” Herman said of the new law.

     Before, employers were required to provide a certain number of warnings before the employee was suspended.

     Overall, Herman said it comes down to quality employees, and having the flexibility to award those for their length of service and dedication.

     “This law is much more limited than the opposition suggested it would be,” Herman said.

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