The bill is SB 1124 and its purpose is to eliminate collective bargaining for all Idaho public employees.

Its author, Meridian Republican Sen. Shirley McKague, had it printed this year with the understanding it wouldn't come up for discussion during the 2011 Legislative session, but would give Idaho lawmakers time to read it and prepare for its possible formal introduction in 2012.

Idaho might join the political war that polarized the Midwest this year.

National attention turned to several states that attempted to curtail union influence and collective bargaining in the public sector, with Wisconsin and Ohio leading the charge.

But McKague's bill would be stronger than the one Wisconsin adopted in March, which exempted some public positions regarding their bargaining rights.

McKague's bill, mirroring Ohio's, would prohibit all public employees from collective bargaining or striking, including police officers and firefighters.

Proponents say it's a fiscally responsible way to monitor tax dollars at a time when every penny is precious. Opponents call it a war on the working class.

"I'm going to try," McKague told The Press of her plans to introduce it as a way to dig into Idaho's budget gap. "Times are hard for everybody."

Already Idaho legislators curtailed collective bargaining for Idaho teachers as a way to save the state money - a move that proved to be politically divisive.

But tighter budgets have increased the scrutiny on all public revenue streams. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it has turned to public employees, who make up a greater portion of unionized workers nationwide. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that for the first time since data was tracked in 1983, more public employees now belong to unions than do those in the private sector.

By 2010, public sector employees outpaced their private counterparts, 7.6 million to 7.1 million.

Impact on Cd'A

For the city of Coeur d'Alene, a change in collective bargaining would affect how it contracts with its 308 benefit-eligible positions.

Two-hundred and thirty two of the city's police officers, firefighters and other employees are directly represented by the three collective bargaining representatives. They meet with the city to negotiate wages, working conditions, and benefits. Those three groups are the Coeur d'Alene Police Association, the Coeur d'Alene Firefighters Local 710 Union, and the Lake City Employees Association.

Exempt from being represented by the groups are a handful of city positions, typically department heads and ones privy to personal employee information, such as in the legal and human resources branches.

Those positions can't negotiate contract terms with the city. However, they receive whatever conditions the city and the Lake City Employee Association agree upon.

A little history

The local fire union and the two associations - essentially municipal equivilants - were all established by 1982 as adopted City Council ordinance. In 1998, City Council repealed the ordinance pertaining to the two associations (the fire union is recognized by the state) since the LCEA wanted to affiliate with the AFL-CIO. The next year, 1999, the issue was put to a citywide vote. In February of that year, the right for public employees to collectively bargain was passed with 1,366 votes of approval and 965 votes against.

Since then, the groups - contracted typically in two- to five-year deals - have played a central role in creating a good working relationship between the city and its employees, City Administrator Wendy Gabriel said.

"We've been very lucky having a great relationship with our bargaining units," Gabriel said. "With both sides making choices, it lends to better decisions, and enhances employee morale."

What if?

How much a new collective bargaining law would alter the city's approach to how it compensates its employees is too far out to tell, she said.

Employees would still have their input, and the city would strive to keep incentives high enough to prevent losing employees to competitors.

In the last five years, in fact, the city has averaged a turnover rate of 3.28 percent. That percentage excludes the number of people who retired during that stretch, but includes people who were fired or did not pass their probationary period, so the figure could be lower when tallying the number of people who left willingly for different jobs.

"It's hard for me to say that not having it would be a savings," Gabriel said.

Perhaps it would save dues fees. Between the city's three groups, around 78 percent of the eligible employees are paying members. Each group has state and national affiliates, too. All dues accounted for around $65,000 last year, with the police association donating more than $4,000 to local charities and the fire union giving away $18,000 to similar local causes.

But Gabriel said that if collective bargaining for all public employees is curtailed, Coeur d'Alene wouldn't try to under-compensate its employees for savings' sake.

She added, however, that the city will keep its eye on Boise next year should the topic come up.

"I wouldn't say we're not concerned," Gabriel said. "I would say we'll follow it closely and whatever happens there, we'll adhere to."

Union opposition

Critics of collective bargaining say the process protects undeserving employees.

Firing people becomes too time consuming and costly, critics contend, while others believe the slow-moving series of meetings and hearings is needed to protect employees from arbitrary dismissal.

The city of Coeur d'Alene has a lengthy grievance procedure in its 95-page personnel rules booklet, and in the last five years has used those steps to terminate 18 employees.

"I think it's a misrepresentation of what actually happens," said Jake Bieker, former FD union president, on the perception that unions protect bad hires. "The only thing that the union does, it tries to make sure there was a just cause for the termination. I don't want to work with a crappy employee just as much as anyone else, and my life's on the line."

After being hired, employees have a 12-month probationary period, although they are eligible for benefits after three months.

Of those 18 terminated jobs, five came during probationary periods and another six were resignations in lieu of termination during probationary periods.

"If you were going to do something in this department that's deserving of getting fired," said Detective Mario Rios, police association president, "you're going to get fired."

But while Coeur d'Alene's retention rate is roughly 98 percent, some employers say unionizing isn't mandatory for holding on to employees.

The Post Falls story

Scot Haug, Post Falls Police chief, said his 67 full-time-employee department took a proactive step toward retention around 10 years ago by increasing compensation and benefits without collective bargaining. The starting wage for a Post Falls patrol officer is close to $40,000, with opportunities to increase it with merit-based performances.

"I don't buy into that, that unions are better at retaining employees," Haug said, adding that the last tenured officer to leave was in 2008. "We're a good example of that. We have good, solid employees and we do a good job."

Should the bill to prohibit collective bargaining in all public sectors come up next year in the Idaho Legislature, Sen. John Goedde said it would only be prudent for lawmakers to take a look at it.

The conservative nature of the body could be ripe to address the topic, especially since budgets are being slashed across the board.

"I think this year's Legislature is more conservative than legislatures in the past, just in their make-up," said Goedde, a Coeur d'Alene Republican. "I think they're less apt to support union acts and more likely to look at what those acts entail."

This year, Goedde supported a pair of bills signed into law that limited union role in construction and that union supporters decry as anti-labor.

Approved by Gov. Butch Otter in March, the Open Access to Work Act (S.B. 1006) forbids state and local governments from requiring contractors to use project labor agreements in public works construction projects. Its companion bill, the Fairness in Contracting Act (S.B. 1007), imposes misdemeanor penalties on unions, contractors or subcontractors who pay or receive market recovery or job targeting subsidies.

Those programs were used to help union contractors compete with lower-cost, non-union bidders while paying union-scale wages.

Clashing perspectives

Goedde said those bills leveled the working field, while union advocates such as Brad Cederblom, president of the North Idaho Labor Council, classify it as union busting.

The difference is the political divide that could play out in Boise next year, should Sen. McKague's collective bargaining bill advance.

"That's a smoke screen. It really has nothing to do with budget," Cederblom said of the stance that cutting collective bargaining would save the state money. The NILC, a local chapter for a state AFL CIO, has 1,384 dues-paying members from 20 different locals across North Idaho, including members from Coeur d'Alene's LCEA, Cederblom said. "It's retribution for the unions not supporting the candidates who got elected in the Republican sweep."

How much a collective bargaining change would save will have to be determined later.

"I don't know if I'm prepared at this point to say if it's going to save the state some money," Goedde said, "but it may merit discussion."

STATE of the UNION

A look at unions in Kootenai County

• Is anti-union legislation coming next year?

• The City of Coeur d'Alene's three unions

FRIDAY

• Non-union: Post Falls and Kootenai County

• The county's three union fire districts

SATURDAY

• PERSI: Retirement fund for public employees

• Column: Why PERSI may be a liability

• Chart: Comparing employee benefits, union and private sector

This series includes wage and benefit information from unions for the City of Coeur d'Alene and fire districts in Kootenai County. Because The Press published a series in February on unionized educators in Kootenai County, teacher salaries are not part of this series. However, this series will provide a chart on Saturday showing benefits of all nine union groups in Kootenai County and compare them with six local businesses.

Did you know?

• Coeur d'Alene city officials negotiate the union contracts on behalf of taxpayers yet receive the same benefits as the union members they're negotiating with. They say there is no conflict of interest.