The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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February 1, 2006

Union office closes

By Robert Barron

Staff Writer



An office housing the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees has closed in Enid.

The office opened at 523 S. Independence in November. Representatives of AFSCME used the office to assist city of Enid workers in their efforts to unionize.

At the time, a recall petition was being circulated to unseat three city commissioners and Mayor Ernie Currier, who all had opposed creation of an employees’ union.

“For now we don’t have that hall,” said city employee Alan Peterson. “When we decided not to continue with the recall, at that point, we didn’t need the office any more.”

Peterson said there still are several possibilities, and the union is looking at upcoming elections to unseat commissioners.

Eldon Stephens, a spokesman for the city group, told city commissioners last month the recall had been dropped because regular city elections are coming up and employees wanted to save the money that would be spent on an extra election.

Stephens told commissioners there were more than enough signatures to recall Ward 2 commissioner Don Rose, Ward 5 commissioner John Hodgden and Mayor Ernie Currier. There were an insufficient number to recall Ward 6 commissioner Todd Ging, who has been in office less than a year.

Peterson said there are bills pending in the Legislature concerning unionization for municipal employees.

“We’re in a holding pattern now. We still get together as a group of individuals to see what we can do. We’re on hold, and that’s where we will take it up,” Peterson said.

In November, union representatives said they wanted a permanent presence in Enid. Local unions had used the Machinists Union office on Washington to hold meetings, and AFSCME officials decided they wanted their own facility.

Union officials need only one more person on the city commission who supports them to tilt the balance toward allowing non-uniformed employees to unionize. Fire and police departments already are unionized.

City workers organized last year and affiliated with AFSCME under provisions of a state law that allowed municipal employees in cities with populations of 35,000 or more to unionize. The law later was struck down by the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

The recall petition came about after city commissioners approved, then canceled, a citywide vote in September on the union issue.

In November, AFSCME representative Kevin Hill said the petitions were being circulated because union supporters wanted to make sure they had more than enough signatures.

Peterson stressed Wednesday the union idea is not dead and efforts will be under way during the 2007 city election to find pro-union candidates to run for office.

“We haven’t given up by any means. We still have a common goal and the public is aware of it,” he said.

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