The union won an important victory Mar. 19 when the impartial Board
of Collective Bargaining unanimously ordered DEP to stop interfering
in union business. The agencys labor relations director had
repeatedly tried to discourage Local 376 members from using the outspoken
Tom Kattou as their representative.
The agency tried to pick who it wanted to deal with, said
Local President Gene DeMartino. But its the decision of
the local to defend and represent members with the best people possible.
Construction Laborers, Highway Repairers and Watershed Maintainers
Local 376 and DC 37 filed improper practice charges earlier this year.
The boards decision said the DEP official not only repeatedly
juxtaposed disapproval of Mr. Kattou with praise for other representatives,
but also attempted to avoid dealing with Mr. Kattou by appealing directly
to union members in order to influence the selection of their representative.
After she tried and failed to block me from attending a disciplinary
hearing, she put her feelings in a memo, explained Mr. Kattou,
the locals secretary treasurer. The director went as far as
to write that Local 376s membership would be wise to discourage
and inhibit such imprudent conduct by the union officer.
What she did was way out of bounds, said DC 37 attorney
Mary OConnell. The DEP official clearly had violated the states
Taylor Law on labor-management relations.
Management cannot pick and choose who it wants to deal with.
This case is not about personalities, but about managements
legal obligation to deal with elected union representation,
she said.
DC 37 Rep Chandler Hendersons testimony before the board was
helpful in establishing the labor relations directors pattern
of refusing to accept the unions designated representative as
an equal in the hearing process.
This is a moral victory, said Mr. Kattou, who was not
cowed by the agencys pressure. Management cant have
its preference at every turn. The Taylor Law works for us too.