County workers talk union
Citing unfairness in budget setting, employees are moving toward an alliance with the Teamsters.
By BARBARA BEHRENDT, Times Staff Writer
Published December 14, 2007
BROOKSVILLE - All summer long, Hernando County's government workers watched a wave of antigovernment sentiment grow and crest at County Commission budget workshops.
Some workers would come to the podium, booed by crowds of taxpayers angry about paying their salaries. The county workers fired back that it was unfair to target them when they, too, have taxes to pay, families to support and important jobs to perform.
Now, many of the workers are taking steps to protect their jobs and to gain strength through numbers. They are taking the initial steps toward joining the Teamsters Union.
At first, the workers sought to join the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents the Hernando County Sheriff's Office deputies. But on Thursday, Steve Klapka, president of the FOP, said several Hernando workers told him they were going with the Teamsters instead.
Neither the organizer nor the president of Teamsters Local 79 in Tampa could be reached for comment Thursday.
If the employees follow through, the effort would be the third time since the late 1990s that county employees have tried to organize. They have voted down both the Teamsters and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in the past.
But the atmosphere in the county has changed since then.
Klapka and his organization had been working with county employees since shortly after the last county budget hearing in late September. The workers, he said, told him they were angry by what they had heard through that budget-setting process.
During the summer, a series of seminars called "Government Gone Wild" characterized county government spending as bloated and out of control. With county commissioners openly questioning whether they could afford pay raises for workers, they were worried, Klapka said.
"They deserve raises just like everyone else and they didn't know if they were going to get a raise," he said.
At the same time, it was obvious that Hernando deputies would be getting higher raises. The county workers could not help noticing that the deputies, like the county's teachers, who also have been given larger raises, are represented by unions.
In October, Klapka said about 100 county workers attended an informal meeting. After a follow-up meeting, the FOP notified county human resources director Barbara Dupre that the union was working with employees toward an election and sought a list of employees.
Klapka said county workers told him the cost of the FOP monthly dues, about $40, led them to switch to the Teamsters, which has lower dues. The FOP offers its members both collective bargaining and a legal defense fund. The Teamsters do collective bargaining but not the legal work, making their dues less expensive.
Dupre said she never heard anything from the FOP after providing the list of employees and she heard there was some debate by employees about which union would work better for them.
There are approximately 700 county workers eligible for union representation.
Because of the switch from the FOP to the Teamsters, the unionizing process must begin again, with the Teamsters getting a list of employees from the county and then circulating sign-up cards to the workers.
If 30 percent of the approximately 700 eligible county workers sign up, the union then notifies the state Public Employees Relations Commission that it wishes to hold an election. If 50 percent plus one of the votes are affirmative, the union is formed and contract negotiations begin.
Dupre said she doubts there is enough support for the idea of unionizing, but added it was up to the employees to decide. She said she has not heard anything about Teamster representatives talking to county employees.
Interim county administrator Larry Jennings said Thursday he has heard of some employee groups meeting but he had not heard any specific unions mentioned.
Dupre said employees had expressed concern over the public discussions about their salaries and raises. But Dupre said she hopes people don't sign for the union election thinking they will get larger raises or more job security because unions don't guarantee those things.
"My hope is that, whatever happens, they make an informed decision," Dupre said. "That means they get information from both sides."
Barbara Behrendt can be reached at behrendt@sptimes.com or 352 848-1434.
Fast facts
What's next?
- The unionizingprocess now must start over. The Teamsters get an employees list from the county, then circulate sign-up cards.
- If 30 percent of the 700 eligible county workers sign up, the union then notifies the state that it wishes to hold an election. If 50 percent plus one votes are yes, the union is formed and talks begin.