OK Cities and Union Organizers Spar Over Collective Bargaining (Feb 14, 2005)
Last month an Oklahoma County judge struck down a state law that would have allowed some non-uniformed city employees to unionize. The judge ruled that the Oklahoma Municipal Employee Collective Bargaining Act was unconstitutional because it only applied to employees of cities with populations greater than 35,000. Many city officials argue that it's an unfunded mandate decreed by the state and that it would place a burden on cities already financially strapped. State lawmakers in both the House and Senate have filed a series of bills that would weaken or overturn the law entirely. But advocates of unionization-- led by AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees-- counter that collective bargaining would lead to improved working conditions for city employees and better city services.

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