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SEIU loses workers on county staff
Engineers, appraisers to join new union; other group stays
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More from County NewsVentura County's largest public employee union survived an attempt to break off about a fifth of its members into a new union, although it did lose 134 members when the results of a decertification vote were announced Wednesday.
Members of three bargaining units in the county's Service Employees International Union voted by mail on whether to decertify, or split from the SEIU.
The largest unit the "professionals" group, with 1,132 members voted against decertification. The engineers group and the appraisers group, with 134 members between them, voted to decertify.
Across the three units, 41.2 percent of members voted for decertification. Voter turnout was 56.7 percent.
"We're really gratified that a significant majority of Ventura County employees voted for SEIU," said Sandy Stewart, SEIU's regional director in the greater Los Angeles area.
"This doesn't change anything for us. We're going to continue to do a good job for the workers we have left."
Members of all three bargaining units petitioned last year for a decertification election.
The ballots were mailed in over the past three weeks and counted Wednesday by a group of union officials, county managers and election monitors from the California Department of Industrial Relations.
The appraisers and engineers will leave the SEIU in the midst of negotiations for a new contract for county workers.
Paul Zimmerman, the county's human resources director, said the county will now have to negotiate separately with the workers who have left the SEIU.
"They might go without a contract for a while because we started about three months ago with SEIU," Zimmerman said.
The appraisers and engineers will be represented by the Ventura Employees Association, a new union formed by dissatisfied SEIU members. Employees of the city of Simi Valley have petitioned for their own decertification election and could also join the VEA.
Larry Carlton, an investigator in the Public Defender's Office and a decertification leader, said he will now step down as VEA president because he is a member of the "professionals" unit that voted to stay with SEIU.
"VEA is now alive and established," he said. "They're a real organization now, and I'm happy for those people because I think they're going to be better off."
Carlton said it was hard to appeal to his bargaining unit because it's so diverse, covering everyone from social workers to crime lab scientists.
"It's a hodgepodge," he said. "It's just so spread out you couldn't reach everybody."
Posted by ctt2003bb on June 14, 2007 at 11:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Isn't the name of the county's human resources director Barry Zimmerman?
Posted by Tom_Johnston on June 14, 2007 at 5:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Coffecup, there was a previous article, different from this, by the same reporter. This article seems to build on the prior with a bit more info, regrettably, not always accurate and I think a bit slanted. There was a comment, it was mine, and the article and comment are still there, you just have to look around for it.
Yes, his name IS Barry Zimmerman. You can go to the County website to see. Very poor fact checking really.
But what I find interesting is what Mr. Zimmerman is quoted as saying "They might go without a contract for a while because we started about three months ago with SEIU,".
This is interesting because Section 2011-B of the County Personnel Rules and Regulations states (with regards to status after decertification):
"The organization certified shall become the recognized bargaining representative immediately and assume the existing memorandum of understanding for the remainder of its duration. Should a group of represented employees decertify and become unrepresented, they shall continue under the existing memorandum of understanding for the remainder of its duration."
Mr Zimmerman may have misquoted by the reporter or he may have forgotten about what the Rules say, or SOMEONE MAY have other plans for the two Units that did decertify. Hmm...Good Luck members of the former Appraisers and Engineers units...you might be in for some tough times given that remark! Small organization, few members (not all of whom voted VEA), little or no money, no dues check-off...and sounds like soon..no contract either!
For what it's worth, about Ms Stewart, I don't think anyone expected her to actually be the one to do research...SEIU 721 has people expert in that regard in its employ who specialize in research. That's the value of being in an organization that is almost 90,000 members strong in Southern California and better than 1.6 million nationally.
Ms. Stewart is an Organizer, Negotiator, and Administrator in SEIU 721 (and was a Deputy Trustee during the former 998's Trusteeship). She has the full confidence of those of us who have worked with her.
SEIU did in fact do the research and that information was shared with the Bargaining Team (of which I was not a part, so I can only tell that they did get information, not what it was).
SEIU members, including the Ventura members of 721 ARE getting what they pay for and more! We have representation, protection from improper or unjust discipline, collective bargaining, and power both in the workplace and politically. We aim to move the agenda of working people forward and that includes right here in Ventura County.
Oh and yes, I am a member and activist in SEIU 721.
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