State union bosses sued for unfair labor practices

By
Suzanne Downing
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6

The Division of Personnel and Labor Relations has filed unfair labor practice grievances against two of the major State public employee unions.

The Department of Administration asserts that the Alaska State Employees Association and the Alaska Public Employees Association-Supervisory Unit are interfering with the conversion to a statewide biweekly payroll system — a system the unions had asked the State to adopt.

The unions’ collective bargaining agreements require them to convert to biweekly payroll “as soon as feasible.”

Converting prior to 2020 would have allowed state employees to take advantage of a system that pays based on number of days worked rather than set calendar dates.

In years with additional workdays, like this leap year of 2020, most salaried employees will earn more pay in a biweekly system than a semimonthly system. Employees paid hourly rates will see no difference in pay. 

“Transitioning from 2 payroll systems to one system for all employees is good for our employees and good for the State. It will mean less payroll corrections and delays in pay, the State wrote in a news release. “We tried to get ASEA and APEA employees an extra $2 million in pay for 2020 by transitioning them from semimonthly to biweekly payroll in December 2019, but the unions refused.”

Both unions have engaged in bad faith bargaining and violated their contracts, according to the division.

“ASEA has not timely responded to our efforts to enforce Article 21.07(A)(1),” the State said in its complaint.

The State has been attempting since August, 2019 to negotiate with the ASEA about the conversion and even went to mediation with ASEA.

Other employees across all three branches of state government have already converted to biweekly payroll or are converting in June. Other divisions of government, such as municipalities and the University of Alaska, have long been using the biweekly payroll, which is a simpler for employees and employers. ASEA even asked for the state to convert for years, but once Gov. Dunleavy took office, the unions started running the clock out.

It’s rare for the State to file grievances against public unions. If the Alaska Labor Relations Agency finds probable cause, there will be a hearing. The only relief the State is seeking is for the unions to uphold the terms of their contract so the conversion can take place in June; there is no monetary amount sought.

Unfair Labor Practice ComplaintDownload

6 COMMENTS

  1. The state should ask for reimbursement for expenses incurred because of union obstruction.

    • I’m in ASEA, a public employee union. I did not sign the recall. I am not a Democrat (nor am I a Republican).

      • Are you a member because you think you have to be, or because you want to be?

        BTW, you don’t have to be unless you want to be.

  3. Unions need to go. I worked for the US PS for 7 yrs as a ‘temp’ – The ‘Union’ covers career employees – they made higher wages, could not be fired for anything (like sleeping on the job) unless they came in with a gun & killed people. A new employee walked in with a t-shirt saying “I’d kill everyone in here, for a beer.” Yeah – cute, but stupid. He didn’t get fired – just told not to wear the shirt again. Unions were good in their day, but now they are run by gangsters. Just my opinion, having worked around them.

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