Twin Cedars teachers decertify union

Steve Woodhouse

Bussey — The 41 teachers of the Twin Cedars School District recently took a vote and chose to decertify its union, the Twin Cedars Education Association. The move comes due to dissatisfaction among a majority of the teachers with the union and Iowa State Education Association (ISEA).

“We didn’t really want those people leading our bargaining,” Professional Educators of Twin Cedars President Justin Nolte said.

The decertification puts bargaining power with the teachers. They are free to form a bargaining unit, which does not discriminate against those who are not part of the union. In the past, to be on the negotiating team, a teacher had to be a member of the union.

Iowa’s right to work law allows workers to have a choice of whether or not to join a union. If a union exists at one’s workplace, employees are not forced to join, but everyone is entitled to the same benefits included in a contract, regardless of union status.

Over the past few legislative sessions, proposals have come forward to force everyone in a bargaining unit to pay a fee. This is known as “fair share.” Many teachers exercise their right to work and do not join the union to avoid paying union dues. To Nolte, the ISEA’s support of “fair share” legislation likely played a role in the decision.

Nolte said he does not believe it was fair for a few union members to be able to negotiate the contract for everyone. He believes if everyone is paying, they should all have a voice when it comes to negotiations.

The process of decertifying began with meetings of people who may be interested. Nolte says as these meetings progressed, the crowd grew larger. A petition was submitted to the Iowa Public Employee Relations Board, which oversaw the certification election. The votes were counted on Jan. 22, and only 15 Twin Cedars teachers voted against decertification. There are 14 Twin Cedars teachers who chose to continue their affiliation with ISEA.

“This must be really hard for them,” ISEA President and former Knoxville High School math teacher Chris Bern told the Journal-Express. “ISEA will continue to support our members in Twin Cedars.”

Nolte said those who sided with him felt they were not being represented as well as they should by the ISEA. Bern disagrees.

“I’d like to know what more he was looking for,” Bern said. “I believe we represented them quite well.”

The dues to ISEA are $614 annually. There are also national and local dues. Nolte said Twin Cedars teachers paid approximately $70 a month for union representation. ISEA represents approximately 34,000 teachers across Iowa. The organization’s roots date back to May 10, 1854.

In 1981, the Professional Educators of Iowa (PEI) was founded. PEI is an association school bargaining units can utilize for insurance and legal assistance. PEI can become the official bargaining organization for Twin Cedars, but that would require another vote to certify it.

“PEI’s here, basically, to help teachers maintain their independence,” PEI Assistant Director Jody Nation said. She said this move will provide local control for Twin Cedars. Those in Bussey are more aware of the needs of the teachers there than someone in Des Moines, she added.

“We’re not here to displace the union,” PEI Director Jim Hawkins told the Journal-Express. “We’re just here and we’re available.”

Hawkins reports there are approximately 2,600 members of PEI. Annual dues are $168. PEI is on a revolving annual dues system, which Hawkins said makes it difficult to give an exact number of members.

“It was a winning situation for us,” Nolte said. PEI has partners across the country. Hawkins said that while he believes Twin Cedars’ decision is great, it is also great when unions are formed. The bottom line is he believes teachers should have a choice.

Twin Cedars is the second district in Iowa to decertify its union. The other is Pomeroy-Palmer, which did so six years ago.

“This raises a red flag,” Bern said. He added that he does not believe Twin Cedars’ decision is part of, nor will it spark a trend.

“I think this is a very special situation,” he said.

Bern is up for reelection as president in April. His current term ends in June.

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