LACK OF MANAGEMENT RESPECT FORCES ES UNION TEAM TO WALK AWAY FROM UNION/MANAGEMENT MEETING

The Federation’s Employment Security Statewide Union/Management Communication Committee cancelled its June 30 meeting with the agency after it became clear the agency had engaged in a clear pattern of obstruction.

The union team “chose to cancel the meeting instead of showing up and being made to ‘look like fools’,” said Federation Senior Field Representative Greg Davis.

Davis told ES Deputy Commissioner Paul Trause the agency had refused to release one of the elected union representatives on the committee and vetoed additional resource persons. Management also restricted the length of a preparatory pre-meeting and the lunch break, travel time—and even the agenda items the union wished to discuss. This all came in the two months leading up to the June 30 meeting the union had proposed take place much sooner.

“The committee truly feels that the entire process from the request date, the denial of elected members, the attack on the length of our items, the denial of specialists for some of the items, to the travel, lunch and caucus time (restrictions) has been a direct attack on them for being ‘Union Active’ and wanting to make a difference in their workplace,” Davis told Trause.

Davis urged Trause to join in re-establishing a healthy union/management communication process.

“I truly hope we can work through this and have a UMCC meeting that will benefit both parties, the citizens we help and the taxpayers we work for,” Davis said.