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RESOLUTION TO UPDATE PELRA 2024
WHEREAS: Thousands of workers at the University of Minnesota wish to organize Unions In order to bargain collectively over their wages, hours and working conditions, and
WHEREAS: The Minnesota Public Employee Labor Relations Act rules around the definition of "employees" and designated "bargaining units" at the University of Minnesota do not work In ways that promote the organization of Unions and the expansion of worker rights, but have instead been used and manipulated to restrict worker rights, and to make Union organization as difficult as possible, and
WHEREAS: The biggest and best opportunity to expand Unionization in the public sector Is at the five campuses of the University of Minnesota, and
WHEREAS: The Minnesota labor movement is committed to helping University workers unrig the rules in PELRA that are holding them back, and
WHEREAS: The changes to PELRA in the 2023 legislative session need additional clarifications and updates to prevent public employers in Minnesota from hindering the orientation and education of newly hired workers about their Unions and their rights as workers, and
WHEREAS: Additional changes to PELRA that empower workers through their Unions to organize and bargain collectively in the method and manner that workers prefer, regardless of opposition from their public sector employers are both needed and possible, now therefore be it
RESOLVED: That the DFL supports legislation to update Minnesota's Public Employee Labor Relations Act (PELRA) consistent with the following goals:
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Empower all unorganized workers at the U of M to determine their own communities of interest for the purpose of establishing new bargaining units for collective bargaining. This change should include both workers seeking to form new collective bargaining units and those seeking to join existing units. These changes shall not undermine or diminish, in any way, the current definitions of already recognized collective bargaining units.
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Ensure full representation under UofM bargaining units by removing restrictions on collective bargaining for part-time workers and those working less-than-12-month contracts, consistent with the wishes of workers in defining their own communities of interest described above
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Limit the UofM administration's ability to undermine organizing, bargaining, or union composition by reclassifying workers.
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Categorize all undergraduate workers, graduate fellows, and student athletes at the UofM as public employees and provide a pathway to collective bargaining for these employees, and be it further
RESOLVED: That the Minnesota DFL supports the following updates and clarifications to PELRA to enhance Union rights and organizing in our state:
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Empower workers to merge or consolidate multiple recognized bargaining units at a single public entity into one bargaining unit or at a single bargaining table for multiple bargaining units (at the sole discretion of the exclusive representative), for purposes of collective bargaining, wherever the workers wish to do so and eliminate any requirement for agreement by a public employer when workers chose to combine their strength in bargaining.
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Additionally, these reforms shall empower unorganized workers to join existing bargaining units through an easy and accessible accretion process.
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Update and clarify statutory language to ensure every public employee hired into a recognized bargaining unit is provided paid time for Union orientation within their first week of employment so they can meet with the chosen representatives of their Union and learn about their rights, their Union and their contract and require 100% employer compliance with this right, without any interference whatsoever.
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Clarify any additional disputed areas of PELRA to prevent unintentional or bad faith interpretations of the Act from the changes approved in the 2023 legislative session.
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