Vote could clear way for union

WASILLA — Wasilla voters will have their fill of Proposition 1 come Oct. 2.

Not to be confused with the Mat-Su Borough’s Private Property Protection Act, Wasilla Prop. 1 asks voters to clear the way for city employees to potentially unionize. Sponsored by a pair of law enforcement officers with the Wasilla Police Department, Prop. 1 repeals the city’s meet and confer system of handling personnel concerns to deferring to state guidelines set in the Alaska Public Employment Relations Act. This would include establishing a collective bargaining process.

Police officers aren’t disgruntled, nor are they unhappy with their pay or the performance of chief Angela Long, said Officer Jentry Crain, one of the measure’s sponsors. Having gone through three police chiefs in as many years, employees would like to have a basic set of consistent rules to follow.

“What will happen if we get a new mayor and all of the sudden the new mayor wants to replace the chief?” Crain said. “We’re set back to square one [with a new set of policies and practices]. We want to have a set of standards and the conditions of our employment [to be consistent].”

Although Prop. 1 opens the door for city employees to unionize, they would still have to vote on whether or not to organize, Crain said. If they don’t elect to form or join a union, then employees would be protected under the state Alaska Public Employment Relations Act.

“After three years of sitting through the meet and confer process, or as the employees refer to it ‘meet and ignore,’ [the current system doesn’t work],” said Mark Ewing, a Wasilla city council member who also signed on as a sponsor of Prop. 1.

Because the city elected to opt out of being bound by the state’s employment guidelines in 1978, when the city had three employees, an election is now needed for employees to opt in and decide for themselves about unionizing, Crain said.

Prop. 1 also promises to be beneficial to Wasilla, Ewing said.

“There are things going on in the different departments throughout the city that are shocking,” he said. “We’ve had litigation in the past due to wrongful termination.”

By having employees and the city bound by collective bargaining or the same rules under state guidelines, “I actually think this will save the city money,” he said.

In addition, Wasilla’s retirement benefits are handled through the state’s unreliable Public Employee Retirement Fund, Ewing said. Because the fund is underfunded, the city is hit with large annual payouts to cover annual shortfalls. The most recent bill was $450,000 in addition to employee contributions.

“It’s not a fully funded retirement program, and that worries me,” Ewing said. “I would rather know going into my budget cycle what my retirement [costs] are going to be.”

Employees of other municipalities can hold votes to organize without approval from the public at large, Ewing said. Wasilla employees should have the same choice.

“I think everybody should have the opportunity for choice,” he said. “[Employees are] just asking the public to give them that opportunity. I’m a member of a bargaining unit and I like that security. I like there are a set of rules my boss has to play by too.”

Council seats

In addition to Prop. 1 on the Wasilla ballot, voters will chose members for a pair of seats on city council.

For council seat E, Norman E. Fuller faces Dianne L. Woodruff and Ewing, the seat F incumbent, faces Kristofer D. Larson.

Contact Greg Johnson at 352-2268 or greg.johnson@frontiersman.com.