(The Center Square) – Seventeen unions representing county and city employees across Iowa became decertified in the retention/recertification election that ended Tuesday.
More than 150 other union locals were recertified, including all Iowa State Education Association’s teachers unions, however, Radio Iowa reported.
Iowa State Education Association president Mike Beranek praised association members who voted to approve recertification of their local unions in a statement.
“Requiring a local association to vote at the end of every contract is just another obstacle the legislature placed in front of Iowa’s public employee unions in an attempt to weaken our strength,” he said, referring to a 2017 bill, which requires that public sector bargaining units must hold recertification elections before the expiration of collective bargaining agreements to ask whether the union should remain.
“Once again, this obstacle was overcome by the strong and determined professionals who will not back down from what they know is best for their profession, their students, and their schools which is representation at the bargaining table, in classrooms, and in the profession,” Beranek said.
The recertification votes failed in the following bargaining units, Iowa Public Employment Relations Board Chair Erik Helland confirmed for The Center Square.
- Ames Community School District/PPME Local 2003
- City of Algona AFSCME Council 61 (police)
- Calhoun County CWA Local 7173
- Cerro Gordo County PPME Local 2003 (Roads)
- Cerro Gordo County Board of Health PPME Local 2003
- Dallas County EMS Professionals
- Henry County PPME Local 2003
- Ida County PPME Local 2003 (Roads)
- Independence Municipal Utility IBEW Local 55
- Jackson County Detention Center Employees Association
- Jackson County Employees Association
- Lee County PPME Local 2003 (Roads)
- Pocahontas County CWA Local 7173 (Roads)
- Pottawattamie County Teamsters Local 554 (Detention Officers)
- Ringgold County PPME Local 2003 (Roads)
- Scott County Library System Teamsters Local 238
- Western Iowa Tech Community College/UE
PPME Local 2003 did not respond by press time to The Center Square’s inquiries.
