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GLP-2. Minnesota Public Employment Labor Relations Act (PELRA) (A) <br />10 <br />Cities in Minnesota are very diverse in their public employnent <br />practices. Their ability to deal with employee strikes also varies <br />greatly. The history of bargaining in the public sector has indicated <br />that if properly prepared for, even strikes by "essential employees" <br />may not unduly threaten public health and safety. In contrast, the <br />prohibition of the right to strike has forced undue reliance on <br />arbitration, which usually has resulted in large compensation awards <br />to essential employees. For these reasons, the League recommends that legislation'be enacted <br />that gives public employers the option of either requesting <br />arbitration within a specific time or allowing essential empluyees to <br />legally strike. Further, the League opposes any other employee <br />groups to be defined as essential employees. <br />than 100 days in a calendar year. <br />The 1983 Legislature reduced the time period that part-time employees <br />must be employed before they are considered employees covered by <br />PURA. This has resulted in higher wages for some part-time employees <br />and more significantly, has resulted in cities hiring fewer part-time® <br />employees. Additionally, mpnv employees who view their work as <br />temporary or transitory in nature, have been asked to pay their fair <br />share of union dues, even though the- :eive no benefit from union <br />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 <br />representing primarily full-time employees. <br />Supervisors of public employees should have their management role <br />acknowledged, and continue to have their status limitad so they may <br />meet and confer. in iju d'v eii `s r4lould zupc 'incrj ccn; 4.a_-. 4_1 <br />employees be represented by an employee organization which represents <br />the employees they supervise. Further limitation of the definition of <br />supervisory personnel would mean that in cities, except city manager <br />cities, no employees could be considered to be supervisory employees <br />for purposes of PELRA. <br />�J <br />_P2_ <br />