Labor Laws

May 29th, 2007 may turn out to be a day that has a lasting impact on Missouri employers and county governments alike. The developments took place in Jefferson City and while the initial blast was soundless the repercussions could be heard from Maryville to Cape Girardeau and from Kirksville to Joplin.

Missouri Association of Counties Legal Counsel Ivan Schraeder has come out with his take on the Missouri Supreme Courts ruling that overturns Missouri labor laws as we know them.

The 5-2 decision overturns controlling laws that date back to 1947.

"All public employees now have the right to bargain collectively. He warns that there could be immediate and severe financial costs to county government. Here is a brief look at what Schraeder says is at risk on our level of government."

He adds, "The Court ruled that teachers have a right to bargain even though they are excluded from the coverage of the current Meet & Confer law. By extension, it can be expected that all police officers will also have the right to bargaining collectively, even though also excluded by current state statute.The Court also seemed to say that there can be no exclusions for persons who are employed even though they perform a management function or are supervisors or are confidential workers involved in bargaining."

"County government will be significantly affected because of the number of independently elected officeholders and the limited countywide control that county commissions have over employment-related decisions."

Schraeder advises counties to begin game planning immediately yet remain flexible as the Legislature will surely address the topic during the next session.

If you didn't receive an email from MAC regarding this decision and would like one you can call Assistant Director of MAC Mary Ellen Brennan and get on their mailing list or I can send one to you if you leave a request in the comments section at the end of this story.