JEFFERSON CITY 鈥 The chairman of the Missouri Democratic Party says the party 鈥渋n no way engaged in union busting鈥 following accusations by former staff that the party tried to sabotage a unionization effort last year.
Michael Butler, the St. 亚洲无码 recorder of deeds who was elected party chairman in December, said he jettisoned the staff after taking over due to 鈥減oor performance鈥 in the 2020 election. He referenced Democrats鈥 17 percentage point loss in the governor鈥檚 race.
鈥淚 terminated all employees because of poor performance in the last election cycle,鈥 Butler said in an email on Monday. 鈥淒emocrats lost Missouri by 17%, I think we all can agree the staff did not perform its job properly, period.鈥
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His emailed statement followed a Post-Dispatch report Monday that detailed end-of-year firings within the Democratic Party; the only staff left on after the terminations weren鈥檛 in the union bargaining unit.
Butler, who was unavailable for comment last week, said the firings 鈥 which included five full-time staff and two part-time fellows 鈥 were made pursuant to a labor agreement between the party and workers that took effect in August 2020.
鈥淚n any election of a chair, MDP need not provide advance notice of a layoff,鈥 the labor agreement says.
In response to Butler鈥檚 statement, Jordan Hunt, former finance director for the party and one of the workers fired in December, said that 鈥渙f course Butler can fire the entire union staff but that action speaks volumes about his supposed commitment to the labor movement.鈥
Hunt said the firings were abrupt.
鈥淲e all got phone calls from Michael Butler saying that this was our last day and that we鈥檇 be paid through the end of the year but that no more work would be performed,鈥 Hunt said.
She said prior to the firings, staff weren鈥檛 given guidance on their futures.
鈥淲e just kept working and so we had no idea that we were going to be fired, certainly not so unceremoniously,鈥 Hunt said, adding the firings left end-of-year tasks such as final fundraising pushes unfulfilled.
Butler said he kept management on for another two months before firing them, too.
Hunt said one of the union鈥檚 goals was to end the 鈥渃hurn and burn鈥 cycle of party staff, where new employees have to be onboarded every two years.
This isn鈥檛 the first time Butler has cleaned house after taking over an office.
Butler last year agreed to pay out $108,000 to settle a federal lawsuit by four former employees in the recorder of deeds office who alleged their terminations were illegal and politically motivated.
Butler, in his statement Monday, said Missouri Democrats were the only party in the state with a staff union and that the party still recognizes the union.
As of last week, there weren鈥檛 any employees in the bargaining unit, but the party planned to add unionized staff as the 2022 election nears, a party spokeswoman said.
The Post-Dispatch also reported on a charge filed in December by Ben Conover, ex-data director for the party, with the National Labor Relations Board.
Conover accused the party of suspending and terminating him to 鈥渄iscourage鈥 protected union activities in violation of federal labor law.
He said his firing took place as the party was entering financial negotiations, and that he was a leader at the negotiating table.
He said after the NLRB found merit to his charge, he and the party began settlement negotiations.
Conover鈥檚 termination took place before Butler became party chairman.
鈥淚 like Ben Conover, and if he felt he was terminated unfairly, as a Democrat I believe he has a right to make a complaint,鈥 Butler said. 鈥淭he MDP is taking his settlement negotiations very seriously.鈥