School labor dispute sent to hearing officer

By Eric Maddy
The SCORE

The Rio Rancho Public Schools and its teachers union have been ordered to take their case to a hearing officer to decide ongoing contract issues, including allegations of unfair labor practices by both sides.

The Rio Rancho Labor Relations Board made the decision Friday by a 2-0 vote after representatives of the district and Rio Rancho School Employees Union reported no progress in contract negotiations. The two sides have been trading charges of unfair labor practices even before the contract expired earlier this year, and the union says there are 22 areas that are open and need to be negotiated.

The board had ordered both sides to attempt to settle their differences, but no agreements came out of a meeting on Dec. 2. As a result, the board

The full decision, read by board chairman pro-tem Tom Griego, is as follows:

"The parties are directed, as contemplated in our October ruling, to schedule a hearing before a hearing officer who shall be Ms. Kathleen McCorkell. I am informed Ms. McCorkle charges $250 per hour, so the parties need to be aware of that. The parties are directed to contact Ms. McCorkle and arrange contract of her services to conduct hearings, findings and conclusions. 

"The hearing officer is hereby directed to find facts and make recommended conclusions regarding all matters, both now pending or to be brought in connection with any alleged prohibited practices occurring since the initiation of these proceedings, including management's charges previously held in abeyance. Disputes over whether any issues are properly before the hearing officer are to be resolved by the hearing officer. (Fellow board member) Mr. (Wayne)and  Bingham and I wish to make clear out intent that all issues and disputes arising in connection with these contract negotiations be heard by this hearing officer,  and the findings and recommended conclusions issued."

Bingham added that the two sides were to split the cost of the hearing equally. Griego and Bingham formally voted in favor of the statement, and Bingham said later that chairman Eric Miller had been contacted by telephone during an executive session and agreed to the ruling. Miller is recovering from recent surgery and was unable to attend the meeting.

According to documents available on the internet, McCorkell is the director of the Albuquerque resident office of the National Labor Relations Board. She was appointed to the University of New Mexico Labor Management Board in September by the school’s Board of Regents.

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