By Lori Ehde
The City of Luverne received word last week that employees in supervisory positions are organizing for union representation.
The Bureau of Mediation Services, the state agency that regulates all unions, issued an order Thursday maintaining status quo for the employment status of all city supervisors until an appropriate bargaining unit and representative are determined.
The Bureau notified the city it had received a petition on May 23 from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Minneapolis, to represent all supervisory employees of the City of Luverne.
The order was issued "to preserve existing conditions and promote free and fair environment for the resolution of this question of representation."
It essentially orders that nothing changes (wages, hours, negotiations, etc.) until the employees are established in their union.
Most city employees already belong to a union, but supervisors do not.
It’s unclear which supervisors had taken the initiative or why, but City Administrator Matt Hylen said the subject surfaced informally earlier this spring.
Following is a list of city supervisors currently not in a union. These employees are not all necessarily interested in the union, but their position may qualify them for membership.
The list includes Hylen, Public Works Director Darrell Huiskes, Public Works Supervisor Ken Vos, Pool Manager Carol Wessels, Public Utilities Coordinator Red Arndt, Public Utilities Supervisor Alan Lais, Finance Director Barb Berghorst, accountant Candace Reese, liquor store manager Richard DeSchepper, City Clerk Marianne Perkins, Deputy Clerk Rose Feikema, Library Director Glenda Bremer and Building and Zoning Official Dan Delgehausen.
The list also includes two vacant positions, economic development director and community relations specialist.
The Bureau of Mediation Services is continuing the process of forming a bargaining unit with employees and determining which employees are eligible.