MONROE - The City of Monroe is preparing to negotiate terms of employment with individual members of the police dispatchers, in light of the apparent disbanding of their union.
The city is "ready and willing to operate with the dispatchers as non-represented individuals," said Phil Rath, city administrator.
The city was advised Feb. 7 that the Wisconsin Professional Police Association/Civilian Employee Relations Division had withdrawn as the exclusive collective bargaining representative of the Monroe Dispatchers Association and its members. The letter was signed by Michael Goetz, a WPPA business agent.
As of Friday, Feb. 15, the city had not received word from the five employees as to their bargaining status. Terms of their contract expired Dec. 31, 2012.
"It sounds like the dispatchers bargaining unit has, by default, disbanded," said Rath, "and without the WPPA, it looks like their contract has expired."
Rath said he had discussed the issue with the city's attorney for labor negotiations, Dan Barker.
According to Goetz, the change in WPPA's status with Monroe Dispatchers, and civilian employee unions like it, is a result of union bargaining limits in Act 10 and of the WWPA Board of Directors' implementation of a program for groups of general municipal employees.
As part of the program, WPPA can make a retainer arrangement for some services.
"The dispatchers can still bargain as a group, if they so choose, but would not get 'full service,'" Goetz said. "WPPA can assist or be on board as a (bargaining) service or to assist for any disciplinary process going on."
To qualify for the truncated services, the unit would have to form as a collective bargaining unit.
"The city can simply voluntarily recognize the group as a bargaining unit," Goetz said, "or the group can petition for election for WEDC to set them up as a separate bargaining unit. As a separate bargaining unit, they can still retain WPPA for their bargaining services."
As of last week, unit members were talking over their options, Goetz said.
Goetz said no contracts are being made for longer than one-year under Act 10, and the limits of wages and other bargaining aspects are still up in the air while a Dane County court case is pending. But neither a previous federal court case on Act 10 nor a hold from a Dane County judge on the pending case restored binding arbitration.
"That puts a burden on municipalities" on how to proceed with contract negotiations with non-represented employee status, Goetz said.
Municipalities, in their policies and codes, use binding arbitration to settle differences in contract negotiations, he noted.
"Now, there is no binding arbitration," he added.
The city is "ready and willing to operate with the dispatchers as non-represented individuals," said Phil Rath, city administrator.
The city was advised Feb. 7 that the Wisconsin Professional Police Association/Civilian Employee Relations Division had withdrawn as the exclusive collective bargaining representative of the Monroe Dispatchers Association and its members. The letter was signed by Michael Goetz, a WPPA business agent.
As of Friday, Feb. 15, the city had not received word from the five employees as to their bargaining status. Terms of their contract expired Dec. 31, 2012.
"It sounds like the dispatchers bargaining unit has, by default, disbanded," said Rath, "and without the WPPA, it looks like their contract has expired."
Rath said he had discussed the issue with the city's attorney for labor negotiations, Dan Barker.
According to Goetz, the change in WPPA's status with Monroe Dispatchers, and civilian employee unions like it, is a result of union bargaining limits in Act 10 and of the WWPA Board of Directors' implementation of a program for groups of general municipal employees.
As part of the program, WPPA can make a retainer arrangement for some services.
"The dispatchers can still bargain as a group, if they so choose, but would not get 'full service,'" Goetz said. "WPPA can assist or be on board as a (bargaining) service or to assist for any disciplinary process going on."
To qualify for the truncated services, the unit would have to form as a collective bargaining unit.
"The city can simply voluntarily recognize the group as a bargaining unit," Goetz said, "or the group can petition for election for WEDC to set them up as a separate bargaining unit. As a separate bargaining unit, they can still retain WPPA for their bargaining services."
As of last week, unit members were talking over their options, Goetz said.
Goetz said no contracts are being made for longer than one-year under Act 10, and the limits of wages and other bargaining aspects are still up in the air while a Dane County court case is pending. But neither a previous federal court case on Act 10 nor a hold from a Dane County judge on the pending case restored binding arbitration.
"That puts a burden on municipalities" on how to proceed with contract negotiations with non-represented employee status, Goetz said.
Municipalities, in their policies and codes, use binding arbitration to settle differences in contract negotiations, he noted.
"Now, there is no binding arbitration," he added.