The state agency, Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), will be holding regional outreach meetings in 12 Iowa communities, including Creston. Wednesday, Aug. 23, PERB will be at the Creston High School auditorium, 601 W. Townline St., for two informational meetings. The focus of the meeting will be on the new upcoming recertification elections for public sector unions or associations to retain or remove their current bargaining representation. They will be held from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. and again from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. The subject matter will be the same in both meetings but are being held twice to allow for interested Iowans to have more opportunity to attend.
There have been many changes this year in the area of collective bargaining. The purpose of these meetings is not to debate the merits of the changes but simply to provide the latest information on how the new election process will work. In addition, there will be a question and answer period to follow. Iowans can also visit individually with representatives from PERB upon the conclusion of the meeting. These public meetings are open to all that have an interest.
The first recertification elections will be held in September, involving approximately 15 bargaining units. In October, approximately 575 units are scheduled to hold a recertification election.