May 23, 2013
By Therese Norton
Protected union activity is not an absolute right when it becomes unreasonable. In a recent decision, PERC Examiner Casey King determined that the State of Washington Corrections did not discriminate against, or interfere with the rights of Local 117 union steward Darren Kelly when it reassigned Mr. Kelly out of his bid position. Examiner King reached this decision finding that Mr. Kelly had not engaged in protected activities. State – Corrections, Decision 11747 (PSRA, 2013).
May 23, 2013
By Therese Norton
In a recent PERC decision, Examiner Slone-Gomez dismissed a union discrimination claim because the union was unable to prove that the employer discriminated against a bargaining unit member by terminating him in reprisal for union activities. City of Centralia, Decision 11687 (PECB, 2013).
May 17, 2013
By Therese Norton
PERC Hearing Examiner Robin A. Romeo partially upheld an unfair labor practice complaint filed by the Public School Employees of Washington on behalf of a group of custodial employees employed by Washington State University. The complaint alleged that the employer refused to bargain when it laid-off a bargaining unit member, which substantially increased the workload of the remaining workers in violation of the Personnel System Reform Act, Chapter 41.80 RCW. Examiner Romeo found that although the decision to layoff the employee was not a mandatory subject of bargaining, the employer must still bargain with the union over the increased workload because the decision impacts working conditions. Washington State University, Decision 11704 (PSRA, 2013).
May 10, 2013
Commission Affirms Examiner Finding of Discrimination and Interference by SNOCOM 911 Dispatch Center
By Christopher Casillas
The three-member Commission, hearing an appeal in a complex case involving numerous allegations of discrimination and interference involving the SNOCOM 911 Regional Dispatch Center, recently affirmed a decision issued by the Hearing Examiner sustaining numerous unfair labor practice charges. The case originally involved nearly a dozen and one-half independent allegations of unfair labor practices alleged by the SNOCOM Dispatchers’ Association, many involving a strong anti-union bias by SNOCOM’s Director, Debbie Grady, against the then-President and Vice President of the Association. In an abbreviated decision, the Commission upheld all of the Examiner’s findings and conclusions outlining the scope of SNOCOM’s unlawful behavior.
Filed Under: Public Sector Collective Bargaining Rights
April 26, 2013
By Therese Norton
In Yakima Valley Community College,11326-A (PECB, 2013), the Commission found that the employer breached its good faith bargaining obligation when it unilaterally implemented its proposal, after it approached bargaining with a fixed outcome in mind to reduce wages. Contrary to the employer’s assertions that it was bargaining under budgetary terms imposed by the Legislature, the Commission found that the parties were not at a good faith impasse in bargaining and that unilateral implementation was not warranted because there was time to bargain the impact of the reduction of the employer’s budget on the bargaining unit. Therefore, it concluded, the employer acted improperly when it unilaterally implemented a temporary change to employee wages and work hours.
April 26, 2013
By Jim Cline
The recent ruling of the Oregon Supreme Court in Association of Oregon Corrections Employees v. Oregon discussed on our blog, coincides with the Washington approach to contractual waivers. PERC has consistently ruled that waivers must be subject specific and that broad management rights language does not constitute a waiver of collective bargaining rights.
Filed Under: Duty to Bargain, Public Sector Collective Bargaining Rights
April 12, 2013
By Therese Norton
In King County, Decision 11319-A (PECB, 2013), the Commission affirmed Examiner Karyl Elinski’s decision that King County engaged in an unfair labor practice when it unilaterally changed the parking fees it charges to members of the King County Corrections Guild in its parking garage. The Commission explained that it has long recognized that changes to employee parking are a mandatory subject of bargaining because it impacts employee working conditions.
Filed Under: Duty to Bargain, Public Sector Collective Bargaining Rights
April 5, 2013
By Jim Cline
In a recent blog article, we cited the recent difficulties involving the City of Mountlake Terrace and its police department. Although many of those issues involved Assistant City Manager Scott Hugill, a fair number of the issues involved Police Chief Greg Wilson. In a decision just released by PERC hearing examiner Robin Romeo, Wilson was found to have committed numerous ULPs.
Filed Under: Public Sector Collective Bargaining Rights
April 1, 2013
By David E. Worley
In Derr v. Kern Cnty. Fire Dep’t, 117 FEP Cases 29 (Cal. Ct. App. 2013), the court affirmed the dismissal of claims of retaliation and discrimination of a firefighter who was subject to a hostile work environment at the hands of his supervisor who harbored staunchly homophobic views. The plaintiff, who has a homosexual daughter, claimed his supervisor continually harassed him, and even after their shifts were changed, the supervisor went out of his way to find the plaintiff and make harassing comments to him. While the court found that no adverse employment action occurred that would support the claims of discrimination and retaliation, the plaintiff had made a clear case of workplace harassment.
Filed Under: Employment Discrimination, Sexual Orientation Discrimination
March 22, 2013
By Jim Cline
The legal woes and legal costs continue to compound for the beleaguered Mountlake Terrace Police Department and its City management team. Within weeks of being ordered by an arbitrator to reinstate police officer Tam Guthrie, the City has now been forced to pay out for the wrongful discharge of a former police secretary, Martha Karl.
