TIM JOHNSON

Once again, a union election is being sought for unrepresented office workers at the University of Vermont.

A petition for an election was filed Thursday with the Vermont Labor Relations Board by the Vermont State Employees' Association, culminating a protracted organizing drive. To qualify for an election, a union must submit authorization cards signed within the last year by at least 30 percent of the proposed bargaining unit.

Organizers declined to say how many cards were turned in Thursday. The proposed bargaining unit comprises about 760 clerical, technical and specialized workers.

The filing prompted a celebratory noontime rally Friday in front of UVM's Royall Tyler Theater. Organizers and union supporters touted the need for staff representation a voice at the bargaining table. Among their concerns: a 20 percent increase in unrepresented employees' health insurance cost share that was imposed by the administration for the current fiscal year along with a 2 percent salary increase.

"Winning a seat at the table would give staff the opportunity to make improvements we wish to see," Marilyn Eldred, a 17-year UVM staffer and one of the organizers, told the gathering.

The petition comes roughly two years after two earlier board-supervised elections for the same UVM employee population. In the first election, the employees voted in favor of union representation, but failed to give a majority to either of two competing unions: University Staff Union/NEA, the top vote-getter; and United Staff, a longstanding independent group. In the second election, UVM staffers voted overwhelmingly (443-189) against representation by the one union on the ballot, the NEA affiliate.

United Staff regrouped and partnered with Vermont State Employees' Association, which already represents about 240 employees at four Vermont State Colleges, and the result is the election petition. The labor board will review the petition and solicit input from the UVM administration about the composition of the proposed bargaining unit.

According to organizers, the proposed bargaining unit is defined in much the same way as it was for the last election. The administration accepted that aggregation of clerical, technical and specialized workers two years ago.

An election, if held, could be several months away.

Asked why organizers think this effort will be successful after the previous failure, Kathy Carolin, a UVM staffer for 20 years, replied: "We're the only union on the ballot this time." She added that organizers have felt support from across the campus.

UVM already has three unions. United Academics represents about 680 full-time faculty and and about 170 part-time faculty, in separate units. United Electrical Local 267 represents about 350 service workers, and Teamsters Local 597, about 25 employees in Police Services. The full-time faculty unit and the service workers are enmeshed in separate negotiations to replace contracts that expired June 30; the Teamsters' unit settled for a two-year contract in early August.

The UVM administration's past practice has been to give nonrepresented employees the same medical and parental leave benefits that unionized employees receive. The university maintains a website, called "Informed Choice," that discusses union representation on campus and that offers a brief Q&A on the latest organizing drive.

In a statement for the administration, university spokesman Enrique Corredera said:

"One of the most important decisions employees can make about their workplace is whether or not to participate in a bargaining unit. The University of Vermont is committed to communicating with its non-represented staff members, and providing easy access to all relevant information necessary to making informed choices about unionization in the event an election is approved."

Contact Tim Johnson at 660-1808 or tjohnson@burlingtonfreepress.com