AUGUSTA — The Maine State Employees Association is concerned that the state is hiring private contractors for too many jobs without notifying the union.
The union filed a complaint Tuesday with the Maine Labor Relations Board asking it to stop the state from contracting out work that’s typically done by union members. The 16-page complaint alleges that the state is bound by contract to negotiate with the union before it hires non-members.
“The state’s acts of contracting out and reorganizing bargaining unit work deprive bargaining unit members of that work, as well as the pay and benefits that come with that work,” the union wrote in its complaint. “Furthermore, the state’s acts severely undermine MSEA’s strength and its ability to collectively bargain on behalf of its members.”
In response, Adrienne Bennett, spokeswoman for Gov. Paul LePage, said the administration is confident the labor board will find no violation. She said the union is simply looking to sway lawmakers on a number of key labor bills.
“This is a pathetic attempt to influence bills pending in the final days of the session,” she said. “It’s a cheap shot.”
This is the second time in recent months that the union has turned to the labor board to try to settle a dispute with the state.
In March, the labor board issued a split decision on other complaints filed by the union.
The board’s executive director ruled that there is enough evidence of possible bad faith bargaining tactics to call for a hearing. The union says the administration walked out of negotiations at a critical time, refused to bargain seriously until the contract was nearly up, and demanded “extreme concessions.”
A date for the hearing has not been set.
And while that one issue will move forward, labor board Executive Director Marc Ayotte rejected other accusations by the union, including charges of discrimination.
The state and union have been in contract negotiations for more than a year. The current contract covering about 10,000 state employees expired in June.
The complaint filed Tuesday seeking an emergency freeze on state hiring of non-union workers lists examples of the practice across state government. The union says the state eliminated more than 80 bargaining unit positions at the Department of Health and Human Services, contracted out more than 20 bargaining unit positions in the Bureau of Unemployment, and hired contract workers for more than 20 jobs at the Department of Corrections.
Also, the union alleges that former union members are retiring and returning to work as contract employees, sometimes sitting at the same desk.
There is no timeline for a decision by the labor board on this issue, according to the board.
Susan Cover — 620-7015
scover@mainetoday.com
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