Representatives say a majority of Poplar Bluff police officers want to be part of a union, but some city council members believe the discussion should wait until after an April 3 municipal election.
The matter was discussed Monday, but no decisions were made and no time frame was set for the matter to be brought back before the council.
The support of either the mayor or two council members is needed to have the matter formally placed on the council's agenda, according to the discussion.
Approximately 35 out of 50 members of the police department have signed cards requesting union representation, said Mark Baker, a representative for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 702.
Baker requested the April 2 workshop agenda include either voluntary recognition of police department union representation, an ordinance setting the framework to begin collective bargaining, or both.
The city and union need to agree first on which members of the police department could be represented by the union, said city attorney Mark Richardson.
The union has said it should include 58 members of the department, excluding the police chief and deputy chief, Baker said. This would include code enforcement, civilian employees and others, in addition to police officers.
The city would include closer to 20 members, according to Richardson, who said this would not include other supervisors.
The timing of the discussion is important, according to council members, because two seats on the council are contested in the April 3 election. The terms are ending of Ward 2 representative Ed DeGaris and Ward 4 representative Philip Crocker.
Under the proposed schedule, the matter could be a voting item at the April 16 council meeting.
This could put a new council member in the position of voting on the matter without participating in the workshop discussion, Crocker said.
"I would suggest we move this back to the 16th, for proper representation of the city council," said Crocker.
Baker asked that if the council did not wish to voluntarily recognize the union, that it begin the process to establish a framework for discussions.
"These people have come to us and asked for representation and we want to get it for them as quick as possible," he said.
The matter of who would be included in the union still needs to be decided, Richardson argued.
The union has been in discussions with the police department since December, according to Baker, who said he reached out to the city manager this month.
The city council voted in December to forgo raises for the majority of city employees after several years of deficit spending that have eroded cash reserves. City employees received a 2 percent raise in 2016.
Agreements have since been reached with IBEW 702 for members of Municipal Utilities that include 4 percent raises annually through 2020.
City employees are paid through a general revenue account that is primarily supported by sales tax collections. Utility workers are paid from a separate account supported by the collection of utility bills.
Police officers understand the financial difficulties of the city, according to Baker. They would like to secure through contract items related to working conditions that are not cost items, he said.
Mayor pro tem Susan McVey questioned why union representation would be needed.
"I think if they have a concern, they have a city manager with an open door policy that they could go to, as well as their supervisor, Chief Whiteley could come and voice that, without having a union," she said.
History has proven that past changes in leadership have created a lot of havoc, Baker said.
"I think they're very supportive of their current leadership and administration," he said. "I think there's a concern about, will that person be there forever. I think they just want to secure what they currently have."
IBEW Local 702 currently represents employees at Municipal Utilities and Ozark Border in Poplar Bluff.
It has about 4,000 members across three states, but includes only one police department currently. The group represents six officers and four dispatchers with the city of Miner, Mo., Baker said. Only the police chief from that department is excluded from the union, he said.
Changes in state law in 2007 have made police department unions possible, according to Richardson, but it requires local cities and local ordinance to determine what they look like.
He suggested Baker was trying to "leapfrog" through the city process of determining what the union would look like, while Baker expressed concern the council was using "delaying tactics."
This is a big move for the city and should not be rushed, said Massingham.
"It needs to be fair for the employees and the city," he said.
The city has a fantastic police department, that is respected around the state and the nation, Baker said.
"Our goal is to improve the working lives of the people we represent," he said. "This was not an aggressive organizing campaign. It was the interest of the people. They reached out to us."