Court hearing on city workers union lawsuit delayed

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (AP) _ A court hearing regarding a proposed union for Bartlesville city workers has been continued. <br/><br/>Testimony was scheduled to begin in Washington County District Court last

Sunday, May 29th 2005, 11:50 am

By: News On 6

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (AP) _ A court hearing regarding a proposed union for Bartlesville city workers has been continued.

Testimony was scheduled to begin in Washington County District Court last week but attorneys for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees asked for a delay. A new date wasn't set.

At issue is whether Bartlesville meets the population threshold allowing non-uniformed employees to unionize in accordance with an Oklahoma law passed last year.

Bartlesville city officials sued to stop the workers from unionizing under the statute, which allows employees in communities with a population of 35,000 or greater to petition for collective bargaining rights.

City officials allege that Bartlesville doesn't meet the population requirement.

Several lawsuits have been filed to halt union efforts, and an Oklahoma County judge declared the law was unconstitutional.

The state Supreme Court hasn't released a ruling on the case.