Effort to decertify Minnesota union gains steam

An effort to decertify a Minnesota union for state-funded home healthcare workers is picking up steam, with organizers saying they soon may have enough backing from homecare workers to qualify for a new vote on decertifying the union.

"We have more cards in hand than the people who voted for the union," said Rusty Brown, a lawyer with the MNCPA, the group organizing the decertification effort.

The effort has 6,500 signed cards from state homecare workers saying they would like a new election. Only 5,800 workers voted to join the Service Employees International Union in 2014.

According to state officials, 27,000 workers are represented by the union, meaning that 9,000 cards would be needed to force a new election. MNCPA is questioning the state's numbers.

"We believe, based on evidence we have collected, that there are actually less than 20,000 [homecare workers] in the bargaining unit. Having said that, our card collecting operations are ongoing," Brown said.