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State Employment Relations Board says current budget supports services but warns federal cutbacks may increase workload
Summary
Craig Zimpfer, chair of the State Employment Relations Board, told senators his agency's requested budget maintains current service levels, covers negotiated wage increases and does not fund additional staff, but he warned that reductions in federal conciliation services could shift cases to state-level mediators.
Chair Manchester called Craig Zimpfer, chairman of the State Employment Relations Board (CERB), to testify during the Sub House Bill 96 hearing.
Zimpfer said the board's executive-proposed budget would allow CERB to maintain existing levels of service and would not fund additional staffing or programs. "The proposed increases to CERB's GRF budget ... will merely allow us to maintain current positions and staffing levels," he said, noting the increases largely cover negotiated general wage adjustments and predictable cost increases.
Zimpfer described CERB's caseload and services: more than 332,000 state and local employees are covered by existing contracts the board tracks; last year CERB adjudicated 181 unfair-labor-practice charges and conducted 225 union-representation elections. He noted CERB also provides data extracted from contracts and runs training seminars for labor and management practitioners.
Senator DeMora asked whether CERB's request might be insufficient, given recent federal reductions to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; Zimpfer confirmed the federal agency has curtailed public-sector services and said CERB may have to consider additional funding if those caseloads shift to the state. He described current mediation staffing as one full-time and one intermittent mediator and said the board is monitoring the situation.
Zimpfer concluded by offering to answer questions; committee business continued without additional action on CERB's request.
