Long Beach's largest union seeks to stop three factions from leaving

The largest union representing Long Beach city govement employees is seeking an injunction that would at least temporarily prevent three breakaway factions from leaving the association.

The union, the Inteational Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, has filed several allegations against Long Beach officials after a Thursday election resulted in three employee groups opting to split from the union. If the outcome is upheld, city govement employees who handle refuse collections operations, along with those in the union’s unit for skilled and general services workers as well as those workers’ supervisors would leave the union.

“We’re going forward as if the election is done,” city labor relations manager Ken Walker said Monday.

The breakaway groups would include some 800 workers, according to statistics from the city. That is roughly 22 percent of the nearly 3,600 employees counted as IAM members as of January 2013, statistics show.

The three individuals who filed petitions calling for the decertification vote could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The union, however, has alleged several flaws in the decertification election.

For example, IAM chief negotiator Richard Suarez said city workers who had the right to vote in the election received ballots in envelopes that did not bear official Long Beach insignia that would make it clear the mailings had to do with city business. He also said employees were given an incorrect phone number to call about missing ballots — the number initially provided coected callers to a fax machine.

“Our position today is that they’re still bargaining employees and the election was conducted unlawfully,” Suarez said in an interview Monday.

Felix De La Torre, general counsel for the state’s Public Employees Relations Board, confirmed Tuesday that the agency has received IAM’s demand for a temporary restraining order that would keep employees within the union’s fold while the allegations can be investigated.

State officials have not yet decided whether to grant the union’s request for a restraining order, according to De La Torre.

Walker said in an email Tuesday that Long Beach officials are preparing a response to IAM’s claims.

City Hall is currently involved in labor negotiations with IAM and other unions representing city workers. City officials and the union reached an accord in August 2015 providing for union members to receive bonus payments.

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That agreement, however, did not result in a new contract between city govement and IAM-represented employees. Their last contract expired at the end of September 2014.