by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
A new policy for UNM's dealings with labor unions went into effect May 12.
However, some union leaders are unhappy with parts of the change, which was passed unanimously by the Board of Regents.
The policy states if unions and management reach an impasse and go to an arbitrator, the arbitrator's decision cannot require the "reappropriation or reallocation of funds."
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In other words, an arbitrator cannot force the University to spend more money than is already available, said Susan Carkeek, director of Human Resources.
That means the regents still have the final say in deciding wages and other financial issues, said Eleanor Chavez, director of Local 1199 of the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees.
"Really, in our minds, it institutionalizes their ability to make rulings," she said. "It's not an evenhanded labor policy without true binding arbitration."
Carkeek said the measure is necessary because of UNM's money source.
"Because these are public dollars, there is a limit on the independence and authority of these third-party groups," she said. "This is a balancing act between employee rights and whatever the responsibility is of the public entity."
Arbitration will be binding in situations which do not involve money.
The policy comes after a history of hostile relationships between University management and unions, Carkeek said. In one case last year, an employee from Local 6155 of United Staff-UNM was fired, then rehired after she filed a grievance with the New Mexico Public Employee Labor Relations Board.
The biggest change in the policy is the creation of a Labor Management Relations Board, Carkeek said. The board will be composed of three members, who will resolve disputes and oversee the creation of new unions.
One member of the board will be chosen by management, one by the unions and one will be selected by the other two members of the board. All three members will have to be approved by the regents.
Carkeek hopes the board will lead to more cooperation between unions and the University, she said.
"We're optimistic about this as a way to resolve our differences at the local level rather than fighting it out in front of the state board," she said. "We're looking forward to having it set a different climate rather than the adversarial model we were in."
New Mexico State University and the City of Albuquerque have similar boards, she said.
The regents will select the first two members at their June 13 meeting.
Terry Mulcahy, president of Local 6155, said he is concerned with the arbitration issue but is still pleased with the policy.
"This gives us an option where we have a little more independence," he said. "We feel there will be a little more objectivity in trying to appeal decisions."
Unions and UNM are engaged in contract negotiations, but Mulcahy said it is too soon to see all the ramifications of the policy.
"I think we'll be better off than we were," he said. "We haven't really seen how it will play out yet, but we're optimistic."
The policy covers unions at UNM and UNM Health Sciences Center.
There are three unions at each institution, with a total of 4,329 employees.
