PELRA Reading Group Hosted by the UPP Education Pillar

Have you ever wondered why we don’t talk about doing stand-up strikes, rolling strikes or limited-duration strikes? We are regulated under a Minnesota State Statute called the Public Employees Labor Relations Act, and this law limits what we can legally do as a union. Want to learn more about the legal rules we operate under, and talk about how the law influences what actions we can and can’t take (and the grey areas in between)?
Then, sign up for the Union Power Project Education Pillar’s PELRA Reading group! We will be running six discussion sessions, every 2nd Tuesday of the month running from Jan. - June, at 6 p.m.

Register to attend

Add the series to your calendar 

Add a specific week to your calendar by clicking on the date.
Week 1 - January: What is a union?
Week 2 - February: Protected concerted activity
Week 3 - March: Structure of BMS and PERB, unfair labor practices
Week 4 - April: Negotiations
Week 5 - May: Negotiation Procedure, Pickets and Strikes
Week 6 - June: What’s next?

We recommend trying to attend all sessions, but sessions can be attended individually. There is (a little) homework – this is a discussion session, where we will be talking about the assigned readings (they aren’t long), not watching powerpoints.

Reading will be posted soon.


Syllabus


Week 1 - January: What is a union?

Readings

  • National Labor Relations Act, sections 1,2,14(b) (29 USC 151-2)
  • MN Public Employee Labor Relations Act, Minn.Stat. 179A.01, 03, 08, 09, 10, 12

Week 1 will involve some of the fundamentals around unions: differences between what kinds of employees there are and who can be a part of a given unit; the nature of exclusive representation; the history of the National Labor Relations Act and the Public Employee Labor Relations Act and how they interact, and how specific legal doctrines develop under the latter.

 

Week 2 - February: Protected concerted activity

Readings

  • NLRA, sec. 7
  • PELRA, 179A.06, subsecs. 1,2,7; 179A.07, subsecs. 6,9
  • HR/LR Policy #1423
  • Other readings to come

We will be covering, as best we can, the rules around what one is allowed to do or say in the workplace. Though the statutory material here is scant, we will take a peek at some summaries of the NLRA and PELRA case law developed over the decades to guide strategies for effective actions.

 

Week 3 - March: Structure of BMS and PERB, unfair labor practices

Readings           

  • NLRA, section 8(a), 8(b), 8(c)
  • PELRA, 179A.13 (unfair labor practices)
  • PELRA, 179A.04-05

After a brief look at the structure of the Bureau of Mediation Services and the Public Employer Relations Board, we will delve into unfair labor practices. What are they? What are the ramifications if one is committed by the employer? Or by us? How does the NLRA precedent impact PELRA?

 

Week 4 - April: Negotiations

Readings

  • PELRA 17A.06, subsecs. 4, 5
  • 179A.07, subsecs. 1-4
  • 43A.06, 43A.18
  • 179A.03 (terms and conditions of employment)
  • MAPE CBA, Article 5
  • Administrative Rules

What can and cannot be negotiated? This will cover the basic structure of negotiations—who with? What is a mandatory subject of bargaining? How does mediation work? How do health benefits work?

 

Week 5 - May: Negotiation Procedure, Pickets and Strikes

Readings

  • PELRA 179A.14, 15, 21, 22
  • 179A.19-20
  • Refresher on 179A.03 (definition of strike)
  • Administrative Rules

Schedule of Negotiations—how does the cycle work? When can we go on strike? Can we go on multiple strikes? What happens if there is an illegal strike? What other options do we have?

 

Week 6 - June: What’s next?

Readings

  • TBD

What are the weak points of PELRA? Where does it protect us the most? What changes would we most want to see? How does PELRA impact our negotiations strategy? Who is down for a reading group on Article 43A (State Employment)?