The New Mexico Public Employee Labor Relations Board (PELRB) Director--Pam Gentry, who was just hired in the Fall of 2010 but has not appeared to have reduced the case backlog --was terminated effective February 5, 2011 according to agency correspondence to parties rescheduling a Status Conference.
As an "exempt" employee, the agency head was employed at the will of the employer, and it is common for such positions to be refilled with incoming administrations. This is especially so when the agency addresses hot button issues like labor-management relations, and the administration change includes a change in political parties as well.
It will be interesting to see how the PELRB handles the change in leadership. Notably, there has been a backlog in all pending case activity (Prohibited Practice Complaints or PPCs, and Representation Petitions) ever since the prior Director (Juan Montoya) retired in June 2010, as I discussed in an earlier blog, "PELRB and Public Sector Collective Bargaining in Review – 2010."
It may be time for the PELRB to consider out-going Director Montoya's suggestion, made at his last Board Meeting before retirement, to retain only the Executive Administrative Assistant for purposes of file intake and other administrative activity, and to issue an RFP for hearing examiner services. Budget and audit responsibilities could also be assigned to a DFA analyst, or folded back into the Governor's office, which is how these functions were addressed when the Board was first resurrected in 2003. Both changes could yield nice cost savings and efficiencies to the State of New Mexico.
If you are interested in neutral services such as arbitration, mediation or contract ALJ services, in labor/employment or other areas of the law, please contact Pilar Vaile, P.C. at (505) 247-0802, or info@pilarvailepc.com.
