Talks between state, personal care providers can restart
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Contract negotiations between the state and a union for 27,000 personal care attendants can resume while an effort to disband the union plays out, the state's Bureau of Mediation Services has ruled.
In an order issued Wednesday, the state agency said opponents of the Service Employee International Union Healthcare Minnesota unit failed to provide enough signatures to force a de-certification election for the care providers who serve the disabled and elderly in their homes.
A temporary prohibition on new contract talks between the state and the union was removed. No contract can be put up for a vote, however, until other matters are resolved.
The mediation agency left open an avenue for opponents to prove that the union membership is smaller than the 27,000 eligible members identified by the state. That matters because lawyers for the group challenging the union needed to receive petitions from 30 percent to force a new vote.
The latest order will push the process into January. The current contract expires in July.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.