The employees of the department of public works (streets, water, wastewater and cemetery) are seeking the public’s support in an ongoing labor dispute with the city of Washington.
In February 2006, a majority of workers voted for union representation. The reasons are many, but we are primarily trying to hold onto the wages and benefits we had.
During the last three-and-a-half years, the negotiations have been painfully slow. The city delayed the process by dragging everything through the Illinois Labor Relations Board and Appellate Court. The board and the court consistently rejected all of the city’s arguments. After the Appellate Court issued its ruling in June 2008, negotiations resumed. Over the next 11 months, numerous negotiating sessions were held and, slowly, the parties moved closer to an agreement. But after all the other issues had been resolved, the city decided to hold up the final agreement over one issue — “fair share.”
Fair share, in fact, involves a simple matter of fairness. Since all public works employees enjoy the benefits of the union contract, it is equitable that those employees who don’t want to be in the union still pay their fair share for union representation. Fair-share employees would have union representation but at a lower cost than the members who want to be in the union.
The city has two other unions, police and dispatchers, with contracts that have fair-share language, so it is puzzling to us why the city has taken three-and-a-half years and 10s of thousands of your tax dollars and ours fighting this contract, only to have it come down to keeping fair share out of the contract. Fair share has no economic impact at all. It does not cost the city or the taxpayers one cent to include this in the contract.
The mayor, city council and city administrator have a responsibility to spend your tax dollars and ours in a manner that is in the public’s best interest. The city’s actions in refusing to end negotiations and sign a contract is resulting in a waste of time and money.
Be assured, the employees of the public works department are in this struggle for the long haul, and every employee hopes that your services will not be affected. However, we will do whatever is necessary to protect our futures.
In closing, we would like to ask that you pick up the phone, call your alderman and let him know that your money and ours have been mismanaged long enough, and it is time to settle this contract. As loyal employees of the city of Washington, we deserve it.
Kevin Schone
Rick “RJ” Jane
Bargaining committee members
