Bellflower : Petition on Union Election for City Workers Approved

Bellflower officials have approved a petition that lays the groundwork for an election for blue-collar city workers to decide if they want to be represented by a union.

Deputy City Administrator Craig Nealis said that representatives of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees were notified of the petition, which was filed Feb. 6 and approved Tuesday. According to city guidelines for union elections, the city must wait another 30 days to find out whether any other employee organization wants to represent the same workers.

Union representatives have accused the city of stalling to prevent an election, but city leaders say they are following the rules set by the resolution. “We’re not against unions,” Mayor John Ansdell said. “If they (city employees) can get a union together and we can work together, more power to them. A man has got a right to make a good living.”