Collective bargaining has little impact

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A year after Gov. Bob Holden signed an executive order authorizing collective bargaining for thousands of state employees, little has changed in the work place.

And despite heated rhetoric from some Republicans and pro-business groups, there has been little political fallout since Holden issued the order June 29, 2001.

The number of union state employees remains about the same. The only contract negotiated under the collective bargaining powers hasn't taken effect, because the union was decertified by a vote of the people it represented. And threats of legislative retaliation never panned out.

Holden, a year later, said he remains pleased to have issued the order, which granted collective bargaining rights -- including the use of binding arbitration on some matters -- to as many as 40,000 of Missouri's 62,000 state workers.

"I don't think there have been any negative consequences to the signing of that executive order," Holden said. Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder, one of the more vocal opponents of the order, said it will be years before the true impact of the order will be felt.

"We are not experiencing any overnight sea change," said Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau. "It is a drip, drip, drip cumulative effect."

Allows arbitration

The order affects workers only in agencies controlled by the governor and does not affect public school teachers or law officers.

It allows unions to seek arbitration if an agreement with the state isn't reached after 60 days of negotiations. So far, there have been no cases using binding arbitration.

Holden's order also allows unions to charge non-union employees in a bargaining unit "fair share" fees, since unions are required to represent even nonmembers. But so far, no unions have sought to impose the fees.

In addition, the order authorizes "horizontal" bargaining units, which cover workers in different departments who do similar jobs. The Services Employees International Union took advantage of that, with votes that combined health professionals from various departments under its Local 2000.

Holden's order did not change the prohibition against strikes and acknowledged that only the Legislature can approve money for increases in pay or benefits that may be negotiated by unions. Resa Dudley, the Office of Administration's chief negotiator in labor matters, said implementation of the executive order is ongoing. "Nothing has been brought to conclusion," Dudley said.

As of March 31, 5,268 state employees belonged to a union, an increase of nearly 500 from a year earlier. But in April, workers in the Department of Corrections voted to decertify the union that had represented them since 1983. The union is appealing.

Sen. John Russell, R-Lebanon, is still of the opinion that the Holden administration should have thought through the issue more thoroughly a year ago.

"I think it is bad public policy and the worst example of leadership that you can have," Russell said. "And I know they don't like to hear this, but it is not good for the business climate in the state of Missouri.