MORGANTOWN — The question of union representation in the Monongalia County Assessor’s Office will be put to a vote.
In a short letter to the Monongalia County Commission, Assessor Mark Musick said office staff will vote on United Mine Workers of America representation on Sept. 26, noting the vote will not interfere with working hours.
“We look forward to the Monongalia County Assessor’s Office employees finally having an opportunity to vote for union representation,” UMWA International District 31 Vice President Michael Payton said in a statement provided to The Dominion Post.
“The workers have expressed a strong desire for a voice in their workplace. I appreciate the efforts of Assessor Mark Musick for facilitating this election.”
Talk of unionization surfaced publicly in April, when the commission was asked to pass a resolution in support of a union vote in the assessor’s office.
Since that time, UMWA representatives have been a mainstay at the commission’s weekly meetings.
The body has only officially addressed the topic once.
On May 22, the commission issued a letter signed by all three members rejecting the request for a resolution.
Commission President Sean Sikora read the letter, explaining it was penned after extensive consultation with legal counsel.
It stated, in part, “We have concluded that we do not have an action as your communication implies. It is the opinion of this commission that employees in the Monongalia County Assessor’s Office have the ability to choose for themselves to support a union, but we do not agree that having an intervening third party to represent the employees is in the best interest of our employees, nor would it be beneficial to the overall governance of Monongalia County.”
When questioned, members of the commission have pointed to West Virginia Code Chapter 18-5-45a, which reads, in part, “Public employees in West Virginia have no right, statutory or otherwise, to engage in collective bargaining, mediation or arbitration, and any work stoppage or strike by public employees is hereby declared to be unlawful.”
Further, should a majority of the 41 employees in the assessor’s office support union representation — and should the commission choose to recognize the union — West Virginia is a right-to-work state, meaning employees do not have to join the union or support it with union dues or in any other capacity.
Asked Wednesday how the body would handle negotiations with the assessor’s office if some or all of the employees are represented by the UMWA, Sikora said it was too early to speak to such a scenario.
These discussions are not isolated to Monongalia County.
Earlier this month, outside legal counsel for the Logan County Commission notified the UMWA that the commission would not recognize or bargain with the union.
According to media reports, Logan County employees voted in favor of union representation in November 2023.
In response, UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts said that commission “cloaks itself in an anti-union state law that allows but does not require counties to ignore the wishes of their employees and taxpayers.”
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