[Marxism] PA: County workers vote to decertify SEIU

[Greg McDonald <sabocat59@xxxxxxx>]

3/8/08
County workers vote to decertify SEIU

http://theunionnews.blogspot.com/2008/03/county-workers-vote-to- 
decertify-seiu.html

Nearly 300 court-related and court-appointed Westmoreland County (PA)  
employees overwhelmingly voted to leave their long-time bargaining  
unit and form a new labor union. The workers, who include deputy  
sheriffs, court staff and office workers in many court-related  
departments at the courthouse, will form an independent organization  
called the Westmoreland County Court-Related Employees Association.

Workers voted Thursday to withdraw from the Service Employees  
International Union Local 668, which represented them during the last  
round of labor talks over the previous two years. Of the 243 votes  
cast, 196 workers chose to form the new union. Forty-five employees  
opted to remain with the SEIU. Two wanted to have no representation.

Sam Ickes, a representation coordinator with the Pennsylvania Labor  
Relations Board, said the new union will be certified in five days if  
no objections to the vote are filed.

"What's next is that we negotiate a new contract," said Jackie  
Lucchetti, an office worker for Greensburg District Judge James  
Albert who helped to organize the move to change unions.

Chuck Dominick, the county's human resources director, said he has  
not received official notification from the state about the  
certification vote and could not comment about the status of  
negotiations.

The court workers, prohibited by law from striking, have worked  
without a contract since 2006.

An arbitrator's ruling for a new contract, which called for raises,  
was put on hold and could be nullified as a result of the shift away  
from the SEIU.

(pittsburghlive.com)
________________________________________________
YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message.
Send list submissions to: Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Set your options at: 
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40archives.econ.utah.edu