University Professional and Technical Employees, Communications Workers of America Local 9119 (Welch, et al.) (PERB 1796H)

STATE OF CALIFORNIA
DECISION OF THE
PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS BOARD
GREGORY F. WELCH and JULIE B. BLIX,
Charging Parties,
v.
UPTE, CWA LOCAL 9119,
Respondent.
Case Nos. LA-CO-226-H
LA-CO-230-H
PERB Decision No. 1796-H
December 30, 2005
Appearances: Werner Witke, Representative, for Gregory F. Welch and Julie B. Blix;
Leonard Carder by Margot Rosenberg, Attorney, for UPTE, CWA Local 9119.
Before Duncan, Chairman; Shek and McKeag, Members.
DECISION
DUNCAN, Chairman: This case is before the Public Employment Relations Board
(PERB or Board) on appeal by Gregory F. Welch and Julie B. Blix (Charging Parties) of a
Board agent's dismissal of their unfair practice charges. The charges are the same in a number
of cases filed by Werner Witke on behalf of numerous individuals. 	In each case the charge is
the same and the cases captioned above have been addressed together by the Office of the
General Counsel and the parties. The charges allege that UPTE, CWA Local 9119 (UPTE)
violated the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act (HEERA).1
Charging Parties allege that UPTE has violated HEERA by collecting agency fees
prior to providing Hudson2 notices to nonmembers and benefiting from an interest free loan
at the expense of Charging Parties for the period between collection and refund of the
HEERA is codified at Government Code section 3560, et seq.
2Chicago Teachers Union. Local No. 1 v. Hudson (1986) 475 U.S. 292 [121 LRRM
2793] (Hudson).

challenged agency fees. Just as in UPTE. CWA Local 9119 (Abernathy) (2005) PERB
Decision No. 1784-H (UPTE (Abernathy)), the Charging Parties in this case allege that this is a
violation of PERB Regulation 329923 which requires that written notice be sent/distributed to
nonmembers at least 30 days prior to collection of agency fees and that fees subject to
objection shall be placed in an escrow account as set forth in PERB Regulation 32995.
The Board agent dismissed the unfair practice charges for lack of standing based on
the Board's decision in California Nurses Association (O'Malley) (2004) PERB Decision
No. 1673-H (CNA (O'Malley)').
We have reviewed the complete record in this case, including, but not limited to, the
initial unfair practice charges, the warning and dismissal letters, Charging Parties' appeal and
UPTE's response to the appeal. We find that CNA (O'Malley) is not applicable here as the
charging party in that case is not an agency fee payer. The Charging Parties here are agency
fee payers and as such have standing. The essential facts alleged must be taken as true.4
Following the reasons set forth in UPTE (Abernathy), this case is referred to the Office
of the General Counsel for a complaint to issue. There are several cases with the same facts
and they shall be consolidated by the Office of the General Counsel. These cases as currently
captioned are:
Kathy Aldern (Case No. LA-CO-104-H), Jo Ann Christina (Case No. LA-CO- 105-H),
Dale R. Disharoon (Case No. LA-CO- 106-H), Gary Steven Ditta (Case No.
LA-CO- 107-H), Gary Newell Foreman (Case No. LA-CO-108-H), Siv Garrod (Case
No. LA-CO-109-H), Ruby Lam (Case No. LA-CO-110-H), Xioaqing Li (Case No.
LA-CO-112-H), Stephanie Lynn Mount (Case No. LA-CO-113-H), Heather Meri Oakley
(Case No. LA-CO-114-H), Robert Ellis Parks (Case No. LA-CO-115-H), Sharon Walker
Stanfield (Case No. LA-CO-116-H), Joseph B. Stagg (Case No. LA-CO-117-H),
Rodney N. Trout (Case No. LA-CO-118-H), Jun Zhao (Case No. LA-CO-119-H),
Leonides B. Sayson (Case No. LA-CO-120-H), Anne Basile Nieves (Case No.
PERB regulations are codified at California Code of Regulations, title 8,
section 31001, et seq.
4Golden Plains Unified School District (2002) PERB Decision No. 1489.
22

LA-CO-122-H), Ottillia J. Bier (Case No. LA-CO-124-H), Peter Baird Billings (Case No.
LA-CO-125-H), Sandra Doris Braun (Case No. LA-CO- 126-H), Kathleen Donnelly
(Case No. LA-CO-130-H), Michael L. Fox (Case No. LA-CO-132-H), Patricia Fay
Hasegawa (Case No. LA-CO-133-H), Hammon Dale Humphries (Case No.
LA-CO-135-H), Nonna Kondratenko (Case No. LA-CO-138-H), Elizabeth Rose Miller
(Case No. LA-CO-140-H), Nghia Nguyen (Case No. LA-CO-141-H), Andrea Kalkhof-
Thor (Case No. LA-CO-142-H), Deborah Lou Zmarzly (Case No. LA-CO-143-H), Zhen
Ye (Case No. LA-CO-144-H), Steven J. Weaver (Case No. LA-CO-146-H), Hao Trinh
(Case No. LA-CO-147-H), Kaizhi Guo Sharman (Case No. LA-CO-150-H), Catherine
Ann O'Harra (Case No. LA-CO-153-H), Yukiko Aochi (Case No. LA-CO-154-H),
Katherina L. Carter (Case No. LA-CO- 157-H), Ruisheng Chang (Case No.
LA-CO-158-H), Adam Corey Cox (Case No. LA-CO- 160-H), John R. Darsow (Case No.
LA-CO-161-H), Laurel A. Davis (Case No. LA-CO-162-H), Carol Asimow Gray (Case
No. LA-CO-163-H), Todd Allen Herman (Case No. LA-CO-164-H), Jane Carol Hines
(Case No. LA-CO-165-H), Nina Humphries (Case No. LA-CO-166-H), Chi Sung Kim
(Case No. LA-CO-167-H), Sherry L. McCann (Case No. LA-CO- 170-H), Mihaela E.
Nistor (Case No. LA-CO- 172-H), Fred Arroyo Oseguera (Case No. LA-CO-173-H),
Mabel Pang (Case No. LA-CO-174-H), Jody Michelle Roberts (Case No.
LA-CO-176-H), Thomas F. Shea (Case No. LA-CO-178-H), Vandana Singh (Case No.
LA-CO-180-H), Andrew Szajczyk (Case No. LA-CO-181-H), Dennis Ta (Case No.
LA-CO-182-H), Ian Charles Topham (Case No. LA-CO-183-H), Randal Gerard Unwin
(Case No. LA-CO-184-H), Ratko Dragomir Vasic (Case No. LA-CO-185-H), Miguel
Vilchez (Case No. LA-CO-186-H), Jennifer M. Wang (Case No. LA-CO-187-H)
Leslie Diane Abrams Carter (Case No. LA-CO-189-H), Jennifer Marie Novak
(Case No. LA-CO-192-H), Joseph P. Sanding (Case No. LA-CO-193-H), David
Fredrick Weiner (Case No. LA-CO-194-H), Chalermchai Chaloyphian (Case No.
LA-CO-196-H), Barbara Jane Dillon (Case No. LA-CO- 197-H), Sasa Maslesa Galic
(Case No. LA-CO-198-H), Suzanne M. Vega (Case No. LA-CO- 199-H), John Malvin
Neil (Case No. LA-CO-200-H), Pascal Oevering (Case No. LA-CO-201-H), Michi
Yamamoto (Case No. LA-CO-202-H), Judith Bereczky (Case No. SA-CO-25-H), Jean
Shepard (Case No. SA-CO-26-H), Mahvash Sigaroudinia (Case No. SF-CO-85-H),
Christina Petersen Ahn (Case No. SF-CO-86-H), Nikita Yakubovich (Case No.
SF-CO-87-H), Mara Crovello (Case No. SF-CO-88-H), Samantha Zhu (Case No.
SF-CO-89-H), King Chiu (Case No. SF-CO-90-H), Hamid Nor (Case No.
SF-CO-91-H), Martha Costas-Lippmann (Case No. SF-CO-92-H), Vernita Ares (Case
No. SF-CO-93-H).
Ivan B. Lee (Case No. LA-CO-191 -H)
Francisco Chanes (Case No. LA-CO-204-H), Fanor Bohorquez (Case No.
LA-CO-208-H), Gregory Montez (Case No. LA-CO-218-H), Rebecca K. Harper
(Case No. LA-CO-220-H), Charles Roger Stearns (Case No. LA-CO-221-H), Jay
Scott Murphy (Case No. LA-CO-224-H), Linda V. Hall (Case No. LA-CO-233-H)
Nicolette Van Sluis (Case No. LA-CO-213-H)
W	
3

Leanne Gill (Case No. SA-CO-27-H), Betty Diane Richter (Case No. SA-CO-28-H),
Peggy Bledsoe (Case No. SA-CO-29-H), Mika P. Tolson (Case No. SA-CO-30-H),
Sharon Oltjen (Case No. SA-CO-31-H), Theresa M. Harrington (Case No. SA-CO-32-H),
Melvin T. Imai (Case No. SA-CO-33-H), Debra V. Aldridge (Case No. SA-CO-36-H),
Vera I. Perez (Case No. SA-CO-38-H), Mary J. Williams (Case No. SA-CO-39-H),
Andrea Elizabeth Packham (Case No. SA-CO-41-H), Shizuo George Kamita (Case
No. SA-CO-42-H), Brenda B. Cameron (Case No. SA-CO-43-H)
Robert Leslie Brooks (Case No. SA-CO-34-H)
Sharon Boylan (Case No. SA-CO-35-H)
Christine E. Joshel (Case No. SA-CO-37-H)
Janice Hatchell Cooper (Case No. SA-CO-45-H)
Lana Widman (Case No. SA-CO-46-H)
Stephanie Abernathy (Case No. LA-CO-123-H), Carolyn G. Lem (Case No.
LA-CO-152-H, Xiaoqing Qu (Case No. LA-CO-168-H)
ORDER
The Public Employment Relations Board REMANDS the unfair practice charge in
Case Nos. LA-CO-226-H and LA-CO-230-H to the Office of the General Counsel for a complaint
to issue and for consolidation with Case Nos. LA-CO-104-H, LA-CO-105-H, LA-CO-106-H,
LA-CO- 107-H, LA-CO- 108-H, LA-CO- 109-H, LA-CO- 110-H, LA-CO-112-H, LA-CO-113-H,
LA-CO-114-H, LA-CO-115-H, LA-CO-116-H, LA-CO-117-H, LA-CO-118-H, LA-CO-119-H,
LA-CO-120-H, LA-CO-122-H, LA-CO-123-H, LA-CO-124-H, LA-CO-125-H, LA-CO-126-H,
LA-CO-130-H, LA-CO-132-H, LA-CO-133-H, LA-CO-135-H, LA-CO-138-H, LA-CO-140-H,
LA-CO-141-H, LA-CO- 142-H, LA-CO-143-H, LA-CO- 144-H, LA-CO-146-H, LA-CO- 147-H,
LA-CO-150-H, LA-CO-152-H, LA-CO-153-H, LA-CO-154-H, LA-CO-157-H, LA-CO-158-H,
LA-CO-160-H, LA-CO-161-H, LA-CO-162-H, LA-CO-163-H, LA-CO-164-H, LA-CO-165-H,
LA-CO-166-H, LA-CO-167-H, LA-CO-168-H, LA-CO-170-H, LA-CO-172-H, LA-CO-173-H,
LA-CO-174-H, LA-CO-176-H, LA-CO-178-H, LA-CO- 180-H, LA-CO-181-H, LA-CO-182-H,
44

LA-CO-183-H, LA-CO-184-H, LA-CO-185-H, LA-CO-186-H, LA-CO-187-H, LA-CO-189-H,
LA-C0-191-H, LA-CO-192-H, LA-CO-193-H, LA-CO- 194-H, LA-CO-196-H, LA-CO-197-H,
LA-CO- 198-H, LA-CO-199-H, LA-CO-200-H, LA-CO-201-H, LA-CO-202-H, LA-CO-204-H,
LA-CO-208-H, LA-CO-213-H, LA-CO-218-H, LA-CO-220-H, LA-CO-221-H, LA-CO-224-H,
LA-CO-233-H, SA-CO-25-H, SA-CO-26-H, SA-CO-27-H, SA-CO-28-H, SA-CO-29-H,
SA-CO-30-H, SA-CO-31-H, SA-CO-32-H, SA-CO-33-H, SA-CO-34-H, SA-CO-35-H,
SA-CO-36-H, SA-CO-37-H, SA-CO-38-H, SA-CO-39-H, SA-CO-41-H, SA-CO-42-H,
SA-CO-43-H, SA-CO-45-H, SA-CO-46-H, SF-CO-85-H, SF-CO-86-H, SF-CO-87-H,
SF-CO-88-H, SF-CO-89-H, SF-CO-90-H, SF-CO-91-H, SF-CO-92-H and
Members Shek and McKeag joined in this Decision.
5