DECISIONS

Puget Sound Educational Service District, Decision 12189 (PECB, 2014)

STATE OF WASHINGTON

BEFORE THE PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS COMMISSION

Alan Sutliff, UniServ Representative, for the union.

Denise Altheimer, Executive Director, Human Resources & Organizational Development, for the employer.

The Puget Sound Educational Service District (District) provides early learning and K-12 educational services to school districts and other education based organizations in King and Pierce Counties.  The Professional Support Association (Association) represented a mixed class bargaining unit of employees at the District.  The bargaining unit was originally created pursuant to an election agreement between the parties and was described by job class.  Educational Service District No. 121, Decision 2271-A (PECB, 1985).  At the time of the election agreement, the job classes in the bargaining unit included various office-clerical and technical job types, such as production and bindery clerks, general assistants, secretaries, receptionists, teaching aides, drivers, audio/visual technicians, and data entry positions. 

In 1995, the bargaining unit many of the employees in the general assistant job class were reclassified to new job titles, such as fiscal specialist and claims specialist.  Puget Sound Educational Service District, Decision 5126 (PECB, 1995).  The bargaining unit description was not changed at that time to reflect the change in job titles. 

Over the years, the scope of the bargaining has changed as the District changed the services it offered.  While the employees performing teaching aid, office-clerical and transportation services duties are still employed by the district, it no longer employs audio/visual technicians as well as employees who perform production and bindery clerk work. 

On June 23, 2014, the District and Association jointly filed a unit clarification petition concerning the bargaining unit status of certain employees.  During a subsequent meeting with the parties, it was determined that there was no disagreement between the parties regarding the status of the employees currently included the bargaining unit.  However, to avoid any confusion as to the positions that are included in the bargaining unit, the parties jointly requested that the bargaining unit description be updated to reflect the changes in position titles that have occurred over the years. 

The Commission’s rules provide a process for an organization to petition for an amendment to an existing certification under WAC 391-35-085, which states:

A party may file a petition to amend an existing certification, and the executive director may amend the certification, provided that the purpose of the amendment is to reflect changed circumstances such as the name of the labor organization or the name of an employer, and the bargaining unit is not affected by the change and there is no question concerning representation.

Here, the parties are merely seeking to amend the existing certification to reflect certain limited changes that have occurred over the years.  The parties are not seeking to add or remove any positions from the bargaining unit, the bargaining unit’s existing structure has not been altered, and no question concerning representation exists.  The joint request for amendment is granted. 

NOW, THEREFORE, It is

ORDERED

1.                  The bargaining unit represented by the Professional Support Association is amended to read as follows:

All full-time and regular part-time employees of the Puget Sound Educational Service District in the positions of Food Service Assistants, Assistant Cook, Cook, Assistant/Cook Delivery Driver, Bus Monitor, Bus Driver, General Assistant, Infant/Toddler Paraeducator, Assistant Teacher, Teacher, Fiscal Specialist, Claims Specialist and Program Specialist job classes, excluding supervisors, confidential employees, and all other employees employed by the District.

2.                  The amendment to the certification issued in this proceeding does not give rise to a new “certification bar” year under RCW 41.56.070 or WAC 391-25-030(2). 

ISSUED at Olympia, Washington, this  27^th  day of October, 2014.

PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS COMMISSION

MICHAEL P. SELLARS, Executive Director

This order will be the final order of the

agency unless a notice of appeal is filed

with the Commission under WAC 391-35-210.