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Unions, former municipal CFO back bill requiring periodic employee lists for bargaining units
Summary
Union representatives and a former municipal CFO testified that providing unions with updated membership lists and demographic information every 120 days is straightforward and helps representation; the committee voted to hold the bill.
A bill requiring employers of unionized public-school teachers, municipal employees and state employees to provide unions with a list of employees in the bargaining unit and specified personnel/demographic information at least once every 120 days drew support from unions and a former municipal CFO.
Bridget Almond, representing the National Education Association of Rhode Island, said her prior 12 years as a municipal CFO gave her direct experience with payroll systems (Munis and Infinite Visions) and that generating the requested deduction or membership reports is a minimal administrative task. “It's a very simple thing that should take ... less than an hour,” Almond said, adding that unions sometimes cannot obtain this information despite contractual language requiring it.
Jeremy Senser of the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals said the bill codifies best practice and helps unions quickly contact members to provide onboarding and support; he and other union witnesses urged passage. After testimony the committee voted to hold the bill for further consideration.
The committee placed the bill on hold; sponsors and unions signaled intent to continue discussions with employers and to use the bill to enforce contractual transparency.
