Public Case No. UC 1990-030
International Union of Operating Engineers, AFL-CIO v.
Jimmie Wrinkle, et al, Intervenors and City of Poplar Bluff, Missouri
The City filed a unit clarification petition to modify the existing bargaining units. The intervenors also file a petition to sever employees of the Electric Distribution Division. IUOE opposed all changes to the bargaining unit.
The Board declined the City’s request to create three (3) bargaining units. They noted that the City had voluntarily agreed to let the employees of the City’s three (3) divisions be represented in two (2) bargaining units. No factors indicated that these units were less appropriate now than when they were created.
The Board also declined the intervenors request to sever the Electric Division employees. The Board found that the Non-Lineman within the division shared a community of interest with other employees in the Electric Division bargaining unit. Although, they noted that the Linemen within the Division may be considered craft employees, this does not in and of itself require severance. Nothing in the Public Sector Labor Law precludes craft employees from being included in a bargaining unit with non-craft employees. In the present case, Linemen and Non-Linemen had been represented in the same bargaining unit for 22 years. In light of the length of this arrangement, the Board concluded that it would be detrimental to the stability of the parties existing relationship to make such a fundamental change in the unit’s overall composition.
Date Issued: December 4, 1990