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f <br />PPS-2. Minnesota Public EmploZTent Labor Relations Act (PELRA) (A) <br />Cities in Minnesota are very diverse in their public employment practices. <br />Their ability to deal witil employee strikes also vnries greatly. The history of <br />bargaining in the public sector has indicated that if properly prepared for, <br />even striker. by "essential employees" may not unduly threnten public health and <br />safety. In contrast, the prohibition of the right to strike has forced undue <br />reliance on arbitration, which usually has resulted in large compensation awards <br />to essential employees. <br />For these reasons, the League recommends that legislation be enacted that <br />gives public employers the optic.i of either requesting arbitration within a <br />specific time or ellowing essential employees to legally strike. <br />The 1983 Legislature reduced the period of time part-time employees must be <br />employed before they are considered employees covered by PELRA. This has _. <br />resulted in higher wages for some part-time employees but, more significantly, <br />has resulted in cities hiring fewer part-time employees. Additionally, many <br />employees who view their work as temporary or transitory in nature, have been <br />asked to pay their fair share of union dues, even though they receive no benefit <br />from union membership. <br />Experience with the law over the last two years has indicated general <br />dissatisfaction with the law by every affected party except unions representing . <br />primarily full-time employees. <br />Supervisors of public employees should have their management role <br />ncknowledged and continue to have their status limited to meet and confer. In no <br />event should supervisory or confidential employees be represented by an employee <br />organization which represents the employees Lhe, supervise. Further limitation <br />of the definition of supervisory personnel would mean thnt in all. but city <br />manager cities, no employees could be considered to be supervisory employees for <br />purposes of 1'ELRA. <br />Employees presently have a variety of grievance procedures available to <br />them, including civil service systems, veterans' preference, and procedures <br />agreed to under collective bargaining. It makes little sense for an employee to <br />-45- <br />