Public Employee Relations Board reports spike in cases, seeks expanded mediator/examiner pool

The Public Employee Relations Board reported a substantial increase in filings in fiscal 2024 and said it plans to expand its pool of contracted mediators and hearing examiners to keep up with demand.

Executive Director Royall Sims told the Committee on Executive Administration and Labor that PERB opened 101 new cases in FY 2024 and closed 69; in FY 2023 it had opened 35 cases and closed 42. The board held 11 monthly meetings and issued 35 decisions in FY 2024, Sims said. He also said PERB conducted 38 mediations that year and provided nine virtual training sessions under its ‘‘Second Tuesdays at PERB’’ program.

Sims told the committee the increase was driven by negotiability questions, standard‑of‑conduct complaints involving unions and an uptick in unfair‑labor‑practice filings. PERB has seven staff positions filled (including four attorneys, counting the executive director) and one vacancy; Sims said the board’s new office at 899 North Capitol Street may be physically tight as caseloads grow.

Committee members asked about backlogs and timelines. Sims said PERB aims to decide matters presented to the board within 120 days; cases that require evidentiary hearings typically take longer (the agency’s average hearing case timeline was nearer 300–360 days when factoring mediation, scheduling and post‑hearing briefing). He said PERB is recruiting more hearing examiners and mediators to avoid bottlenecks.

Ending — follow up: Sims said PERB will provide the committee copies of job postings for mediators and hearing examiners and will continue to notify the council about vacancies and any changes to caseload trends.