MuskogeePhoenix.com, Muskogee, OK

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August 10, 2012

Both sides lost in labor debacle

— A rough chapter in the history of Muskogee labor relations came to a close Friday with no winner in sight.

Non-uniform city of Muskogee employees voted overwhelmingly to be represented in collective bargaining by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

More than 95 percent of those who cast ballots in the weeklong recertification voting period chose to be represented by AFSCME.

Nearly 72 percent of eligible city employees cast valid ballots in the election.

Those numbers clearly show the desire of the non-uniformed employees.

The results will be made official at Monday’s City Council meeting.

Though the employees’ union was recertified, the employees lost out on nearly a year of collective bargaining rights.

The employees also are having to start from scratch after decades of being represented.

Because the city of Muskogee chose to bust the union — although the city did so within state law — the union must negotiate as if it never existed.

Many negotiated benefits may have to be renegotiated.

That might sound like the city won the day.

It might turn out to be an empty victory.

Of the three city unions — including police and firefighters — the non-uniform employees seemed to be the easiest to get along with during labor negotiations.

It just happened their union was the only one that legally could have been decertified by the city.

It has taken more than a year to get to this point since the city stripped the union of its collective bargaining rights.

The city can’t be happy with the resurrection of a union the city thought it bounced.

And the employees could be angry enough at the city to make the next round of negotiations difficult.

It’s been more  than a year to reach roughly the same point.

What a colossal waste of time and energy.

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