2.52.060 Policy and standards for determination of appropriate units.

(A) The policy objectives in determining the appropriateness of units shall be: (1) the effect of a proposed unit on the efficient operations of the city; (2) the unit's compatibility with the primary responsibility of the city and its employees to effectively and economically serve the public; and (3) providing employees with effective representation based on recognized community of interest considerations. These policy objectives require that the appropriate unit shall be the broadest feasible grouping positions that share an identifiable community of interest. Factors to be considered shall be:

(1) Similarity of the general kinds of work performed, types of qualifications required, and the general working conditions.

(2) History of representation in the city and similar employment; except however, that no unit shall be deemed to be an appropriate unit solely on the basis of the extent to which employees in the proposed unit have organized.

(3) Consistency with the organizational patterns of the city.

(4) Number of employees and classifications, and the effect on the administration of employer-employee relations created by the fragmentation of classifications and proliferation of units.

(5) Effect on the classification structure and impact on the stability of the employer-employee relationship of dividing a single or related classifications among two or more units.

(B) The employee relations officer shall, after notice to a consultation with affected employee organizations, allocate new classifications or positions, delete eliminated classifications or positions, and retain, reallocate or delete modified classifications or positions from units in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(C) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, managerial, supervisory and confidential responsibilities, as defined in Section 2.52.020 of this chapter, are determining factors in establishing appropriate units hereunder, and therefore such managerial, supervisory and confidential employees may only be included in units that do not include nonmanagerial, nonsupervisory and nonconfidential employees. Managerial, supervisory and confidential employees may not represent any employee organization which represents other employees.