MORGANTOWN — According to a Friday morning press release from the United Mine Workers of America, employees in the Monongalia County Assessor’s Office supported UMWA representation during a vote held Thursday.
“We are proud to welcome the employees of the Monongalia County Assessor’s Office to the UMWA family,” International President Cecil E. Roberts said in the release. “Their decision puts them on a path toward greater job security, fair treatment, and representation on the job. We will ensure that their voices are heard, and their rights are protected.”
Talk of unionization surfaced publicly in April, when the Monongalia County 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.
UMWA International District 31 Vice President Michael Payton has been among those in attendance.
“The employees have made it clear they want the union on their side, and we appreciate Assessor Mark Musick for facilitating the election process fairly and ensuring the vote took place,” Payton said in Friday’s release.
The commission has only officially addressed the topic once.
On May 22, the body 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, “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.”
Sikora told The Dominion Post the commission has no comment on the vote beyond the May 22 statement referenced above, which concluded, “We fully believe that our most valuable asset is our employees and are considered first and foremost in every budget and/or fiduciary decision that we make. We simply do not believe that adding another layer and therefore costs to this process is in the best interest of the of the county, our employees or our citizens.”
The UMWA called Thursday’s vote “a significant victory for the workers.”
“The UMWA will continue to stand by these employees until they have access to safe working conditions, fair wages, and comprehensive benefits,” Roberts said.
