General employees vote down union

The town’s general employees voted not to form a union this week by a big margin.

Human Resources Manager Lisa Silvertooth informed Town Manager Dave Bullock in an email Thursday, March 7 that the union was voted down by a margin of 21-6.

Out of the 31 eligible voters, 27 votes were cast.

The mail vote began Feb. 15 and closed March 6. The Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) tallied the votes on Thursday.

Unionization would have frozen benefits and pensions for general employees, forcing town staff to negotiate changes with them.

For more information, pick up a copy of Thursday’s March 14 Longboat Observer.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].