Teachers vote overwhelmingly to maintain unions in initial voting

Thirteen bargaining units representing nearly 1,300 Iowa teachers and faculty have voted overwhelmingly to maintain their union affiliations in the first wave of elections required under Iowa's new collective bargaining laws.

Iowa Public Employment Relations Board staff tallied votes Tuesday, as the two-week voting period drew to a close.

Of the 1,291 eligible voters, 1,101 voted in favor of maintaining their union's bargaining unit while 27 voted to dissolve them. Sixteen ballots were voided and 147 people did not vote.

"I think it’s silly we had to do this, but our people understood what’s at stake and they voted, and I think they sent a message," said Iowa State Education Association President Tammy Wawro.

Public-sector workers have always voted to certify their unions, granting them permission to collectively negotiate contracts and pay on their behalf. They only faced elections if one of their members petitioned for decertification.

But the state's new collective bargaining laws, which took effect in February, instituted a much steeper hurdle for unions to maintain that authorization.

Now, public-sector unions must re-certify every time they face a new contract negotiation — typically every two or three years.

They also need to win approval from a majority of all employees covered under their contracts — not just a majority of people who vote in the election — or see their bargaining unit dissolved.

Database:Iowa Public-Sector Union Recertifications

Legislative Republicans who crafted the law say the change was intended to make sure unions are being held accountable to all of their members. But labor leaders and union activists say it's an unfair burden designed to reduce the number of unions across the state and weaken their influence.

In this first wave of voting, about 89 percent of all eligible voters participated in the election, the publicly available vote tallies show. Just 147 people did not vote.

Wawro said local presidents knew what was at stake and have risen to the challenge by educating their members and ensuring they voted.

"They’re educators, so they taught," Wawro said. "And clearly they did an excellent job."

It was the first test of what will be an ongoing reality for Iowa's public-sector unions. Next month, up to 483 local unions and employee associations will face recertification votes.

“It will be the single largest election this agency has ever had," said Mike Cormack, chair of Iowa's Public Employment Relations Board, which has been tasked with conducting the elections.

The September elections were conducted with mail-in ballots. This next round will be done online and over the phone.

Database:Iowa Public-Sector Union Recertifications

Who voted? 

• Ballard Education Association 
• Danville Education Association
• Des Moines Area Community College Higher Education Association 
• Eldora-New Providence Education Association
• Mid-Prairie Education Association
• Northeast Iowa Community College Higher Education Association
• Olin Education Association
• Roland-Story Education Association
• Saydel Education Association
• Seymour Education Association
• Southwestern Community College Education Association
• West Lyon Education Association
• Western Iowa Tech Community College Education Association