Eighty DeKalb County non-professional employees are petitioning to become unionized because they believe they do not have enough input in their working policies.

After the last county board meeting, Steve Trossman, spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said the employees felt their views regarding pay raises were not considered.

Trossman said the only DeKalb County employees that are not being represented are nursing home, health department and union-contracted employees.

He said the first of four major issues the employees are addressing deals with employee pay raises last December. Trossman said the employees felt their input was disregarded.

County Board Chairman J. Quentin Dailey said, “We tried to give them input but it was difficult to get the whole group to agree.” He said if the employees feel they need a union, it is their right to do so.

Trossman said the second issue involves a time-off system called “paid hours off.”

“Most places have paid vacation time, but they have a certain number of hours they can accumulate every month and spend those hours for vacation or sick time, ” Trossman said. “The county is considering changing this policy and the employees don’t want to change it,” he said.

Dailey said if the policy changes, it only will affect future employees down the road, not those currently employed. “This is difficult to get across because we all have problems with communication,” Dailey said.

The last two reasons the employees want to be unionized are union employees receive better pay increases and also have provisions for seniority, Trossman said.

The employees are treated equally no matter how long they have worked at their current job, Trossman said.

Dailey said, “We feel everyone should receive the same amount of pay for doing the same work.”

He said the reason for unionization is so the employees have representation for grievances and more specific contracts for their wages.

Trossman said the board will be notified at its next meeting of the employees’ petition to the state labor relations board. If the county agrees the petitioned bargaining unit is “proper,” a date for the election will be set and employees will vote on unionization.

The board will conduct a hearing if they decide the petitioned bargaining unit is not “proper.”

The bargaining unit will then negotiate and form a contract, Trossman said.