Brown vetoes effort to give unions greater say on labor-dispute boards

Gov. Jerry Brown has vetoed a bill that would have given public employee unions a greater say over who serves on the influential panels that issue decisions on labor-management disputes in L.A. city and county government.

Brown said the measure, which would have restored the power of labor leaders to screen appointees to the city’s Employee Relations Board and the county’s Employee Relations Commission, would have resulted in “a significant override of local decision-making authority.”

The two boards take positions on high-stakes labor-management fights over public employee salary agreements, work rules and retirement benefits. Last year, Mayor Eric Garcetti stopped allowing employee unions to sign off on the five nominees to the city commission. At the county, the Board of Supervisors voted last year to give unions a say on two out of three commission appointees instead of all three.

The county’s employee relations panel has not had a quorum to meet in the wake of that vote. Management accused unions of refusing to pick an appointee. Union leaders accused management of blocking a proposed candidate.

Brown said in his veto message that such disputes should be resolved at the local level. But Maria Elena Durazo, who heads the powerful Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, said the bill was needed to ensure public employees have a “stable” dispute resolution process.

“L.A.’s hardworking police officers, firefighters and nurses are disappointed that Governor Brown has sided with those who have chosen to politicize rather than restore a more than 40-year neutral and peaceful labor management dispute resolution process,” she said in a statement.

The city’s Employee Relations Board has had a major effect on budget decisions at City Hall this year. The panel voted to throw out a measure aimed at rolling back retirement benefits for newly hired workers, which was designed to save $710 million over a decade.

The city has filed an appeal of that decision.

Garcetti spokesman Jeff Millman said Tuesday his boss welcomed the veto. “Mayor Garcetti thanks Governor Brown for his support and looks forward to working with our labor partners to ensure the [Employee Relations Board] is fair and effective,” he said in a statement.