Labor Leader: Key Biscayne is “Union Busting”

Offices of Key Biscayne Village Hall, Sunday, June 16, 2019 (Key News/Tony Winton)

Key Biscayne’s largest public employee union reacted with surprise this week to a sudden privatization of a Village office and a plan by the Village management to reshape the number of jobs covered by union contracts.

“It sounds like it’s union busting,” said Bobby Palmacci, a representative with the International Union of Police Associations, which represents most Village employees.

Village Manager Andrea Agha outsourced much of the government’s code compliance office last week, terminating three employees and assigning work to two commercial inspection companies. She said she had determined the office was overstaffed and that it was more efficient to privatize the function.

Mayor Mike Davey said while he had been briefed about the changes in the code office, additional privatization, if any, should be a Council policy decision.

“It becomes a Council decision when it comes to outsourcing,” Davey said.

In addition to the privatization, Agha also said she would seek to redefine which employee jobs are covered by unions. Such a move involves filing a petition with a state agency, the Public Employee Relations Commission, to examine whether some kinds of jobs should be excluded.

Typically, when employers file petitions, they do so to reduce the size of the union.

“We haven’t done it since 2009,” Agha said. “It’s overdue.”

Mayor Davey said he was unaware of the manager’s intentions. “I would be curious as to what she’s looking to do,” he said.

Council Member Ed London said while he had “no problem” with Village unions, he also said the manager was hired to look for best practices. “I wouldn’t second guess her,” he said.

Key Biscayne’s employees are divided into four different bargaining groups; three of them are represented by the police union, the IUPA, while fire rescue workers are represented by a different union. While all employees are set to receive cost of living increases Oct. 1, the Village has the right to reopen wage matters for non-public safety  employees for the 2020 fiscal year.  The increases are based on federal inflation statistics, which indicated a 2.2% increase. 

It is not clear if Agha has exercised that right. She did say the bargaining agreement allows her to outsource work.

Most governments outsource some government functions, a practice known as “alternative service delivery,” usually with the intention of reducing costs, although academic research is split on whether savings are achieved.

A recent study by the International City/County Management Association found outsourcing peaked in 1997 and has flatlined since then, with municipalities outsourcing 28 percent of services on average.

The survey also found that 14 percent of municipalities reversed earlier privatizations either because of lack of service quality or lack of cost savings.