This is my place of employment. Since I'm not part of any of this, there's no need for my comments. I've been management and union both, so I'll just say I've been through all of this before. Votes, strikes, decertifications, local changes and even changing unions altogether. I quit the union(s) ten years ago and never went back. Since then, I've always negotiated my own wages, hours and conditions. I like it that way. ~ Tracy

By Colleen Surridge

Parsons Sun

Union membership in the United States continues to decline and at least some employees at Power Flame are considering the possibility of following that trend.

On Saturday, those working at Power Flame came out after their shift to find two papers attached to every vehicle.

One paper asked, "Do you wonder what it would be like without the Union? If Union free does not work we can vote it in again in one year. Signing this petition only allows for the decertification vote and Gives Power Flame the right to tell us how it would work in a union free environment. Don't you at least wonder?"

The second was a petition to the National Labor Relations Board to hold a decertification election to determine whether the majority of employees of Power Flame want to be represented by the Steelworkers Union.

Should Power Flame workers succeed in passing the decertification, they will join the ever-growing trend of those moving away from union representation.

In 2006, 12 percent of employed and salaried workers were union members, down from 12.5 percent a year earlier, the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics reported in January.

It is nearing contract renewal time between Power Flame and the union, and Power Flame human resource director Walter Keener said there are always some undercurrents of dissatisfaction with union representation among some of the employees and emotions tend to rise this time of year.

But, he said, "I didn't think they were unhappy enough to take action."

By law, Keener said, the management cannot tell employees what they would offer versus the union for pay, benefits, vacation days, etc.

"If I were to go in and say we will pay you better or our benefits would be better, it is a violation of the law. Š That's bribery," he said. "If the petition is signed, then we can answer those questions."

Keener said the petition method may reflect employees' fear of retaliation from union supporters. Keener said he understands the fear.

There is a chance the petition will not reach the NLRB in time, he said.

Pointing to a statement at the bottom of the distributed letter, Keener said employees seeking the decertification vote could face a major obstacle of their own creation.

"It says, ŒPlease sign this and give it to a supervisor or leave it at the front desk in care of management,' but management can't be involved. Š The employees probably don't know management can't be involved. If they hand the petitions in to management, then they will not go anywhere, and they will not have them to turn them in," Keener said.

"The second problem is they have to file the petition 60 days before the contract is renewed."

Dec. 2 is the contract renewal date, meaning those seeking the decertification vote would have to have the petitions in Overland Park by today.

In fact, the NLRB states on its Web site: "Generally, under these contract bar rules, a valid contract for a fixed period of three years or less will bar an election for the period covered by the contract. However, in such situations, a petition filed more than 60 days but not more than 90 days before the end of the contract will be accepted and may bring about an election."

So employees disgruntled with union representation may wait three more years to seek a decertification vote, unless a contract is not signed. Keener said negotiations usually move quickly, and the contract is usually signed before the set date.

Should the 36 signatures be acquired ‹ 30 percent of the employees ‹and the petitions be gathered back from management and filed in Overland Park today, the case would be assigned to an NLRB agent for processing. If the region determines that the petition should be processed further, the agent will attempt to secure an agreement of the parties regarding the appropriate unit and the eligibility of voters as well as the date, time and place of the election.

Union membership peaked in the 1950s, when nearly one third of U.S. workers belonged to a union. As unionized industries have closed, automated, or moved out of the country, union memberships have declined.