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While unions already have little power in Arizona, a right-to-work state, an ordinance adopted by the Gilbert Council in 2007 allows up to three organizations to certify and represent hundreds of workers in discussions on wages and working conditions.
The Gilbert Town Council last week flirted with an immediate repeal of the town’s meet-and-confer ordinance, which allows employee unions to speak annually with management, but a compromise kept the process alive for one more year.
Many town administrators have spoken favorably about meet-and-confer, praising the process for its value in providing open communication and fostering greater trust in the organization. On Thursday, four employees provided strong public endorsements of the system; none spoke against.
Despite the ordinance’s popularity with town workers, several council members made public unions a campaign topic during recent elections, and the council in 2011 voted to make it more difficult for the organizations to recertify.
As a result, Service Employees International Union last year lost its standing in Gilbert, leaving about 500 employees without representation in the annual talks. With the SEIU’s exit, Gilbert Police Leadership Association and International Association of Fire Fighters are now the only employee groups allowed at the table during meet-and-confer.
Councilmen Eddie Cook, Victor Petersen and Jared Taylor seemed prepared to repeal the ordinance on Thursday, but Vice Mayor Ben Cooper and Councilwoman Jenn Daniels pushed for more time, giving the unions one more year of meet-and-confer talks to hash out a transition plan.
With one more year of meet-and-confer talks, town management and the employees can sit down to discuss the future after the ordinance expires in 2014.
Information from The Arizona Republic
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