Prop. 1 or Prop. 1? Both are the questions

Wasilla voters aren’t seeing double — there are two Prop. 1s.

In addition to the Mat-Su Borough’s Private Property Protection Act, tabbed Prop. 1 on the Oct. 2 Borough ballot, Wasilla city voters are also being asked to decide an initiative called Prop. 1.

Don’t be confused and automatically mark “yes” or “no” on your city ballot if you’ve already made up your mind about the Borough’s Prop. 1. They’re two different animals at opposite ends of the zoo.

Flying under the radar of the Borough’s controversial question, the Wasilla initiative has the potential to radically change the way the city interacts with its employees. If passed, Prop. 1 scraps the system where employees can meet and confer with city council about issues and replaces it with collective bargaining as outlined in the Alaska Public Employment Relations Act.

While this opens the door for city departments to unionize, it also means employees and the city would follow the rules outlined in the APERA. It’s a good law, one that brings our city employees to a level equal to other municipalities.

Traditionally, a city’s police department, public works or other department could meet and elect on its own about organizing. Not so in Wasilla, which is still governed by a decision made in 1978 when the city had three employees. Then, the city opted out of the APERA, and it was the right decision at the time. Now pushing 150 employees, Wasilla has outgrown that move and employees there today should be allowed to make the same choices workers in other municipalities have.

More importantly, Wasilla government could use the extra protection from itself. Wasilla City Council Member Mark Ewing is also listed as a sponsor of Prop. 1. While that may be unusual, he believes the city would benefit by being bound to the terms of collective bargaining or the APERA. In the past, the city has had to make financial settlements to employees who have brought wrongful termination claims.

By outlining the rules before the game begins is always a good idea. In addition, any collective bargaining would likely also include provision for how the city and employees fund pensions. Now participating in the state’s Public Employee Retirement Fund, Wasilla is bound by that fund’s uncertainty. This past year, the city was forced to contribute an additional unanticipated $450,000.

Wasilla employees may never vote to unionize. If they do, it could be one department or many, and those union votes may pave the way for collective bargaining, or they may fall short.

We have a unique opportunity to show our city employees we appreciate the value of a common baseline between government as an employer and those who work for government. Wasilla employees aren’t disgruntled, they’re not upset over low pay. Prop. 1 isn’t about opening the city’s doors to unions, it’s about choice. Let’s give our city workers back that choice.