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Committee created for employee complaints
By Joe Benedict/MVM News Network
The Lee County Board of Supervisors officially created a labor/management committee Tuesday.
The board had discussed the issue in an earlier workshop, but had never officially created the committee until Tuesday.
There were many questions from board members over the proposed ground rules for the committee.
Supervisor Ernie Schiller questioned the process of rectifying employee complaints in the past. He said the system must not be working if this committee is necessary.
Supervisor Bob Woodruff said it has worked. The employee discusses problems with their supervisor and if the employee isn't happy with the results, an appeals process is in place.
This committee will deal with relations between the employees and the management in county departments. It will meet quarterly, but other meetings can be called.
Woodruff said it had to be clear that this board could not discuss collective bargaining or related items. He also took issue with the proposed rule that said what was discussed in the meetings couldn't be used later. He specifically mentioned grievances.
“I don't think you'd be able to tell an administrative law judge you can't discuss that because it's in the minutes of the labor/management meeting.”
Woodruff also questioned what would be confidential from the meetings. Supervisor Larry Kruse said the discussions of who said what at the meetings would be confidential, but the committee's decisions would be public and its recommendations would be able to be discussed at supervisors meetings. The rules themselves, however, said the meetings and minutes would be confidential and only released if agreed upon by the committee.
Supervisor Chair George Morgan said it isn't going to help if a safety issue, for example, was discussed at the committee meeting, then could not be explained at a supervisors meeting to fix the problem, because the labor/management minutes and discussions are confidential.
The supervisors decided the issue needed further discussion and tabled the approval of the committee ground rules, but did appoint Kruse as the board's representative to the committee.
In other business, County Engineer Dennis Osipowicz reported there may be more work needed at a playground and showerhouse at Geode Lake State Park. The county did some in-kind dirt work at the sight earlier this year. When construction in the area began, it was found the area was used as a place to dump boulders and other rocks. More material needs to be removed and filled in with dirt before construction can begin.
Osipowicz said with Lee, Henry and Des Moines counties all working together on the project, the cost won't be very high to go and help.
Schiller also reported about his trip to the annual Iowa State Association of Counties meeting, or ISAC. Besides the dues to the organization being raised from $200 to $250, he said the highlight of the conference was hearing Joe Dittmers speak.
Dittmers is a survivor of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He was on the 105th floor of tower two at the World Trade Center when it was struck by a passenger jet. Dittmers was one of seven survivors of the meeting of 54 insurance executives at that meeting.
Schiller said he told his incredible story and what he wanted people to time away from it is the safety and security of employees should be a top priority.
“There wasn't a dry eye in the house when he was done,” Schiller said.
The board had discussed the issue in an earlier workshop, but had never officially created the committee until Tuesday.
There were many questions from board members over the proposed ground rules for the committee.
Supervisor Ernie Schiller questioned the process of rectifying employee complaints in the past. He said the system must not be working if this committee is necessary.
Supervisor Bob Woodruff said it has worked. The employee discusses problems with their supervisor and if the employee isn't happy with the results, an appeals process is in place.
This committee will deal with relations between the employees and the management in county departments. It will meet quarterly, but other meetings can be called.
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“I don't think you'd be able to tell an administrative law judge you can't discuss that because it's in the minutes of the labor/management meeting.”
Woodruff also questioned what would be confidential from the meetings. Supervisor Larry Kruse said the discussions of who said what at the meetings would be confidential, but the committee's decisions would be public and its recommendations would be able to be discussed at supervisors meetings. The rules themselves, however, said the meetings and minutes would be confidential and only released if agreed upon by the committee.
Supervisor Chair George Morgan said it isn't going to help if a safety issue, for example, was discussed at the committee meeting, then could not be explained at a supervisors meeting to fix the problem, because the labor/management minutes and discussions are confidential.
The supervisors decided the issue needed further discussion and tabled the approval of the committee ground rules, but did appoint Kruse as the board's representative to the committee.
In other business, County Engineer Dennis Osipowicz reported there may be more work needed at a playground and showerhouse at Geode Lake State Park. The county did some in-kind dirt work at the sight earlier this year. When construction in the area began, it was found the area was used as a place to dump boulders and other rocks. More material needs to be removed and filled in with dirt before construction can begin.
Osipowicz said with Lee, Henry and Des Moines counties all working together on the project, the cost won't be very high to go and help.
Schiller also reported about his trip to the annual Iowa State Association of Counties meeting, or ISAC. Besides the dues to the organization being raised from $200 to $250, he said the highlight of the conference was hearing Joe Dittmers speak.
Dittmers is a survivor of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He was on the 105th floor of tower two at the World Trade Center when it was struck by a passenger jet. Dittmers was one of seven survivors of the meeting of 54 insurance executives at that meeting.
Schiller said he told his incredible story and what he wanted people to time away from it is the safety and security of employees should be a top priority.
“There wasn't a dry eye in the house when he was done,” Schiller said.
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