FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Flagstaff is moving toward nonbinding collective bargaining.
In a 5-2 decision, the council established a system of meet and confer between management and separate employee groups.
It also means agreements can be rejected by the city council, and employees will have no option to strike.
The Flagstaff firefighters union has tried unsuccessfully for more than a decade to get the city to bargain with them separately under meet and confer.
Mayor Sara Presler and Councilmembers Al White, Karla Brewster, Coral Evans and Rick Swanson, supported the ordinance.
They contend meet and confer will formalize employee negotiations and level the playing field among separate employee groups.
A survey of 373 of roughly 1,000 city employees shows 52 percent oppose meet and confer.
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Information from: Arizona Daily Sun, http://www.azdailysun.com/
