On May 5, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) filed a petition with the Iowa Public Employment Relations Board (PERB). Notices of this petition were issued by PERB and posted in various University locations and on the web at www.uiowa.edu/~perb.
The SEIU petition seeks to revise the current bargaining unit definition for research and academically related professional staff at The University of Iowa. That definition was issued by PERB in 1977, and is available at www.uiowa.edu/hr/relations/research. Once a revised unit definition is issued by PERB, the petition seeks an election to certify SEIU as the exclusive representative of this unit in collective bargaining with the Board of Regents, State of Iowa.
PERB has scheduled a hearing for June 6, for SEIU and the Board of Regents to present arguments regarding the appropriate definition of the bargaining unit. Once a revised definition is established and PERB is satisfied that SEIU has demonstrated interest from at least 30 percent of the bargaining unit, PERB will issue an order and schedule for an election, says Kevin Ward, UI Senior Associate Director of Human Resources.
“We will not know the exact dates of any election until PERB issues a notice of election,” Ward says. “The election notices, like the notice of the new unit definition, will be posted for staff following the procedures that have been used previously for both physical notice and notice by e-mail and the web.”
PERB has indicated that the election would be conducted by mail, following procedures similar to those used in absentee balloting in civil elections.
Ward says staff should watch for postings and/or e-mail notices from PERB about this petition. Staff should check to ensure that their home address information is up-to-date on UI Self-Service, so that correct information is provided to PERB for the mailing of ballots.
Staff also should learn everything they can about the issues, processes, and procedures involved in collective bargaining, Ward says. Information is currently available at the www.uiowa.edu/hr/relations/research, and additional information will be posted in the coming weeks.
“Staff should ask questions and seek out information about how this change would impact their employment and the University,” Ward says. HR representatives in each unit are a resource for staff, he says. The name of each staff member’s HR representative is available on the Self-Service site, or by contacting elr-help@uiowa.edu.
“It will be very important for staff to participate in any election held by PERB,” Ward says. “The outcome will be determined by a majority of those who vote in the election.”
by Charles Drum |
