A. If an employee organization receives a majority of the valid votes cast in an election provided for in Section 2.20.020, the county administrator shall certify and recognize the organization as the authorized representative for all eligible employees subject to the conditions set forth in Section 2.20.020. There shall be one authorized employee organization for purposes of meeting and conferring, or participating in any other labor-management process authorized by this chapter. However, nothing in this chapter shall prevent individual employees or representatives of other employee groups from communicating directly with county management and the board on employment and personnel issues and nothing in this chapter shall be construed so as to impede the flow of information to county management and the board from other sources.
B. An employee organization recognized as the authorized representative shall be recognized as such for a minimum of five years. An employee organization recognized as the authorized representative that is unsuccessfully challenged in a subsequent election pursuant to this subsection shall be recognized for an additional minimum of five years. Thereafter, recognition as the authorized representative shall continue but may be challenged at any time after five years through the filing of an election request as provided for in Section 2.20.020. The ballot for any such election shall include the existing authorized representative and any employee organization that files a valid petition pursuant to Section 2.20.020.
C. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, a predecessor organization may request that a successor organization succeed it as authorized representative. A request under this subsection must:
1. Be in writing;
2. Be signed by a person authorized to bind the predecessor organization;
3. Be submitted to the county administrator;
4. Identify the successor organization; and
5. Include a written acknowledgement, signed by a person authorized to bind the successor organization, stating that the successor organization is able to and desires to take on the status of county employees' authorized representative.
D. Upon receipt of a request that complies with Section 2.20.030(C), the county must provide reasonable written notice of the request to all eligible employees within five business days. The written notice may be transmitted by electronic means. The written notice must identify the predecessor organization and successor organization, state that the predecessor organization has requested that the successor organization succeed it as county employees' authorized representative, and include a protest form on which the eligible employee can indicate the eligible employee's opposition to the recognition of the successor organization as authorized representative, along with instructions for completing the protest form and submitting it. If more than fifty percent of eligible employees return completed protest forms within thirty calendar days after the date of the written notice to the eligible employees, the county administrator must certify that the successor organization may not succeed the organization as authorized representative, and that the predecessor organization will continue to be recognized as the county employees' authorized representative until another authorized representative is chosen as otherwise provided in this chapter. Otherwise, the county administrator must certify that the successor organization succeeds the predecessor organization, and upon that certification the successor organization will thereafter be recognized as the County employees' authorized representative for purposes of this chapter. For purposes of Section 2.20.030(B), recognition of the successor organization does not commence a new term of recognition, and the successor organization is protected from challenge in a subsequent election only if the predecessor organization was so protected, and then only for the remainder of the period of time that the predecessor organization would have been so protected.
(Ord. 2018-1 § 1 (part), 2018; Ord. 2009-69 § 1 (part), 2009: Ord. 2008-83 § 1 (part), 2008: Ord. 2007-1 § 1 (part), 2007)