City Employees Approve Union

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.yankton.net/stories/022108/com_249163011.shtml

Thursday, February 21, 2008
Story last updated at 1:40 am on 2/21/2008

By: Nathan Johnson
[e-mail]

Despite showing overwhelming support at the ballot box Wednesday for unionizing, no city employees were present to savor first-hand the victory at Yankton's City Hall gymnasium as the final votes were counted.

Of 86 eligible employees, 61 voted in favor of joining the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

Elected officials, policemen and salaried employees were not eligible to take part.

In order to unionize, 50 percent plus one of all eligible employees needed to support the effort.

Soon after voting closed at 1 p.m., state Department of Labor officials began tallying the results in front of several union representatives and Acting City Manager Al Viereck.

The unionization effort started off at a disadvantage -- five "no-shows" were automatically chalked up as "no" votes -- but as the stack of "yes" ballots gradually more than doubled its counterpart, the inevitable outcome became clear.

FULL story at link.