UMWA: More Monongalia County departments want to unionize

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — On the heels of last week’s vote by the employees of the Monongalia County Assessor’s Office to join the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), local union leaders say other county employees have expressed an interest in organizing.

UMWA District 31 Vice President Mike Payton spoke at Wednesday’s meeting of the Monongalia County Commissioners, where union representatives have been present for the past several months.

“We will be back in front of you multiple times for the rest of the Mon County Courthouse who has expressed an option that they want to be represented by the United Mine Workers of America,” said Payton.

Commission President Sean Sikora reiterated that the commissioners’ stance on county employees unionizing has not changed. In May, Sikora sent a letter to the union stating, in part:

“It is the opinion of this commission that employees in the Monongalia County Assessor’s office have the ability to choose for themselves to support a union, but we do not agree that having an intervening third party represent the employees is in the best interest of our employees, nor would it be beneficial to the overall governance of Monongalia County.”

On Tuesday, however, Sikora and the other members of commission agreed to have a work session in the future with union leaders.

“You certainly have the right to request a work session with the commission,” said Sikora. “Rather than going back and forth, I think we ought to have that.”

The date for that work session was not immediately released.

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