By Andrew Denney/Columbia Daily Tribune
The Missouri Supreme Court last week heard arguments in three cases that could affect the rules Missouri municipal governments and school districts have set forth to deal with labor unions.
All three cases originated in the St. Louis area and deal with collective bargaining rights for public employees.
In one case, the American Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit against the St. Louis-based Construction Careers Center after it rejected a tentative agreement with the union regarding employment conditions, then unilaterally established teachers’ salaries for the 2009-10 academic year. In the other two cases, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 15 filed lawsuits against the city governments of Chesterfield and University City, arguing the municipalities did not fulfill a duty to establish a framework for collective bargaining.
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2011/nov/07/supreme-court-considers-collective-bargaining/