The Unions have lost their minds.....Archived Message
Posted by whatusay on April 18, 2011, 8:07 pm
'This is stepping over the line': Justus says union's demand for back pay put brakes on rehiring laid-off deputies
BY MIKE FITZGERALD - News-Democrat
BELLEVILLE -- The St. Clair County Sheriff's Department was on the verge of rehiring eight road deputies laid off in January for financial reasons.
But those plans fell apart when the lawyer for the union representing the deputies demanded the department give the recalled deputies three months' back pay, Sheriff Mearl Justus said.
"This is stepping over the line," Justus said. "All over the country, you see states are passing legislation to take away bargaining rights. And there are so many people out of work. ... This is beyond belief."
St. Clair County deputy's car - BND Rick Stewart, the attorney for the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council, said the request for the back pay was part of a negotiating effort. The effort stemmed from an unfair labor practices complaint the union won against Sheriff's Department and St. Clair County last month.
The complaint arose after the department a year ago set up a MetroLink security detail that included two nonunion members.
The administrative law judge's March 8 ruling ordered the county and department to "make whole" the bargaining unit members with back pay dating a year ago, plus 7 percent interest -- or a total of about $85,000, according to Stewart.
The judge said the county should have allowed union members to serve on the security detail.
In seeking back pay for the eight laid-off deputies, the union proposal was to "give up the interest (on the award) and settle all litigation if you just bring these guys back and pay them their back pay."
The department has not formally responded to the union offer. Meanwhile, last week Brian Manion, the department lawyer, filed an appeal of the unfair labor complaint ruling with the Illinois Labor Relations Board.
Manion said the department will send a response to the union's request for rehiring the eight deputies with back pay after he meets with St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern.
In mid-January, the county laid off 12 road deputies out of 47 on duty. The move occurred after the union rejected a county offer that would have given the deputies a 6.5 percent pay increase between Jan. 1 and Jan. 1, 2013.
The union members rejected the county offer because the they said the county must follow another administrative law judge's ruling in November to award about 100 deputies a 9.5 pay raise over three years.
St. Clair County leaders county balked at that ruling, estimating it would cost about $600,000 for 2010 and 2011 to comply with an arbitrator's award. To pay for it, the county laid off the 12 least senior deputies.
Four of those 12 were later hired back -- three as jail guards, and one as a court bailiff.
Contact reporter Mike Fitzgerald at mfitzgerald@bnd.com or 239-2533.
on April 18, 2011, 8:07 pm