Agencies aren't playing fair

By Gary D. Gross

TIPTON, Mo. -- As you may be aware, employees within the Missouri Department of Corrections are embroiled in a battle to decertify -- on the grounds of non-representation -- the union that has represented them for the past 19 years.

The State Board of Mediation is conducting the process of decertification concerning the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, otherwise known as AFSCME. Ballots that are to be mailed to employees' homes, marked with their votes and returned to the State Mediation Board will determine the outcome of this election.

During preliminary meetings with officials of the State Board of Mediation, the Office of Administration and the Department of Corrections and lawyers representing AFSCME, I have been assured that all state agencies involved want a fair election.

Unfortunately, that has not been the case.

For starters, the Office of Administration was to provide a current mailing list for all employees involved so that both AFSCME and I could provide our points of interest to them by mail. The mailing list I was given was bogus. Instead of being delivered to employees' homes, the majority of the letters I sent were delivered to their work sites.

Employees' personnel files containing their accrued comp and overtime hours were made available to AFSCME. According to the Department of Corrections policy, "Only employees whose official duties require access shall be allowed to review employee personnel files" and "No verification of information other than public information (defined as name, position, salaries and lengths of service) will be made without a written authorization from the employee." Yet AFSCME mailed fliers to employees stating exactly how much time the employees had on the books.

Where do you suppose the AFSCME acquired this information?

Furthermore, the guidelines governing this decertification election mandate that only bargaining-unit employees are permitted to distribute literature to other employees, but the AFSCME is being allowed to bring in paid representatives from outside the state who are not members of this bargaining unit. These AFSCME representatives are going to employees' homes, attempting to coerce employees. They attempt scare tactics and threaten employees by stating that "if AFSCME is voted out, then your jobs will be in jeopardy."

Even though the officials from the Office of Administration, the Department of Corrections and the Board of Mediation have stated they want a fair election, they are allowing AFSCME to run rampant, breaking every rule and guideline set forth, including access to personnel files that they are not entitled to see.

It has become very apparent that the Office of Administration will go to any length to ensure Missouri corrections employees do not receive a fair election.

Gary D. Gross is a co-founder of the Missouri Corrections Officers Association, which has more than 2,300 members. He also is the petitioner seeking an election to decertify the Department of Corrections' bargaining agent, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.