Union alleges intimidation in complaint against Clark County Family Services

A complaint alleging retaliation against protected union activity involving Clark County Department of Family Services employees has been filed with the state’s Employee-Management Relations Board.

The Sept. 10 complaint was filed on behalf of the Service Employees International Union, local 1107.

Clark County Manager Don Burnette said the allegations in the complaint are serious and he’s willing to address them, but he needs information to substantiate the claims.

The complaint claims employees were intimidated during meetings with management held after a “Safety First” petition was signed by about 390 Family Service workers and presented to Clark County commissioners Aug. 5. Employees’ concerns were belittled and they were accused of being “dramatic,” according to the union complaint.

Instead of addressing employee questions, Family Services Director Lisa Ruiz-Lee “demanded ‘who owned the document of questions’” that union members had prepared before the meetings, the complaint alleges.

“DFS employees have also been summoned to DFS managers’ offices to be interrogated as to what the extent of their involvement in the ‘petition thing’ was, whether they signed the petition and why, and about their union activity,” according to the SEIU complaint. “DFS employees that have spoken out about the safety concerns have found themselves the subject of investigations, and having previously pre-approved training sessions summarily canceled.”

Union representatives declined to comment beyond what’s in the complaint, said Rebecca Theim, SEIU spokeswoman.

Burnette was sent a Sept. 12 letter informing him of the SEIU complaint from Paul Cotsonis, one of the lawyers representing the union. The county has not yet filed a response with the state board.

“As I am sure you will agree, properly addressing the safety concerns of DFS employees in a constructive manner will be virtually impossible if the inappropriate and illegal conduct of the DFS Director and her fellow DFS managers is allowed to continue,” Cotsonis wrote in the letter obtained by the Review-Journal.

Burnette responded to the letter Monday and requested additional information.

“You are probably aware that Clark County has an ordinance available to address any alleged retaliatory actions taken against employees who disclose improper governmental action,” he wrote to Cotsonis. “Be assured that I will grant whistle-blower status pursuant to this ordinance to any employee who fears or has experienced retaliatory action as a result of disclosing improper governmental action.”

Burnette said the union had not responded to his letter as of Thursday.

He said he had not yet discussed the complaint with Ruiz-Lee, but intended to do so after obtaining more information from union leaders and employees. For example, he wants the names of managers alleged to have questioned employees about the petition and what those conversations were like.

Union leaders will be meeting with their attorneys soon to review Burnette’s request and develop a response, Theim said.

Clark County spokesman Erik Pappa said Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani late Thursday shared with Burnette a list of union concerns she compiled during a Sept. 12 meeting with SEIU leaders. The county now wants to review that list, which Pappa said took nine weeks to obtain, with the union.