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Court order settles dispute
Senior Reporter A Crow Wing County court order settling a dispute between the Teamsters and the city of Crosslake Thursday attempts to balance rights for political speech and collective bargaining.
At issue are comments stemming from a Sept. 8 budget meeting where Terry Curtis and Dean Eggena, city council members, suggested ways to stop Crosslake police officers from unionizing. The union was seeking a court-ordered temporary restraining order or injunction against the city.
The agreement, hammered out between legal representatives of Union Local 346 and the city of Crosslake, was expressed in a court order by Crow Wing County District Court Judge David Ten Eyck.
Timothy Andrew, attorney for Teamsters Union Local 346, said they were satisfied with the result and no further legal action on the matter is expected.
"I think we proved our point and that is all we wanted to do with it," Andrew said.
Attorney William Everett, Buffalo, representing the city of Crosslake, could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Crosslake officers authorized the Teamsters to represent them in labor negotiations. When council members discussed the idea Sept. 8, Curtis and Eggena suggested eliminating or outsourcing the police department and cutting jobs as ways to thwart the union.
Local Union 346 said the city of Crosslake committed unfair labor practices. The city denied the allegation. Curtis and Eggena later stated they regretted their comments.
Andrew said the agreement means the city cannot make statements about laying off employees in regard to union activity. He said the important part of the order means the city is prohibited from making future threats.
The judge's order states the city denied committing an unfair labor practice but acknowledged certain comments made Sept. 8 expressed sentiments contrary to the spirit of the Public Employment Labor Relations Act.
Among points listed in the order, the court stated elected and appointed Crosslake city officials - while participating in official proceedings, meetings or other city functions - may not engage in speech or expression that may reasonably and objectively be perceived as a threat to coerce employees from forming a union, or interfere with union organizing efforts or threaten reprisals for union-related efforts.
However, elected and appointed officials are free to "engage in public discourse, debate, speech and expression on topics, including but not limited to the staffing, performance, budget, size, efficiency and the future of the police department, in addition to expressing opinions on unions in general."
RENEE RICHARDSON can be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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