By Jennifer Gomori, POJ Editor

South Haven General Employees have been looking for improved representation for quite some time. After learning about the Governmental Employees Labor Council’s (GELC) experience working with City leaders, they made the switch.

The 34-member group voted unanimously to join the GELC in March 2026, parting ways with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).

South Haven General Employees had also changed representation just 3 years prior, leaving their longtime Union to join the IBEW based on assurances the IBEW would make specific advancements for them in their next bargaining agreement, said Kevin Sisson, South Haven General Employees Local Union President. When those commitments didn’t materialize, the group lost faith in the IBEW, especially after witnessing the techniques used during negotiations.

“A lot of people just weren’t happy with the way things turned out. Our last negotiations we were promised stuff that we didn’t get,” Sisson said. “In my own opinion, they just started taking on cities recently. I think when we started talking to them, they only had four or five cities they were working with, and I don’t think they had a good rapport (with municipalities) to know how to negotiate a contract with a city. We were kind of new to them.”

Their former representation started negotiations with a more combative tone than they had experienced in the past. Their methods resulted in more arguing, longer sessions, and less progress in their current bargaining agreement, which expired June 30, 2026. 

“The first time with the IBEW, our first negotiations, they brought their attorney with them and that’s not how you start off a negotiation,” Sisson said. “The last contract took a long time to resolve with so much arguing and bickering going on. I don’t know if they tried to intimidate them or what it was. We had over six sessions of negotiations, and they were all day long!” 

In search of another new Union, they checked with South Haven City Police, who reported they were very pleased with the Police Officers Labor Council (POLC), the GELC’s sister Union. GELC staff came out to meet with South Haven General Employees, providing a comprehensive presentation and answering their questions.

“When we had our meeting with (GELC Labor Rep.) Dave Thomas and the other two (GELC representatives), everybody was very, very pleased when we were done talking,” Sisson said. “Everybody said this is who we want to go with. They deal with our police department, and they’ve already dealt with our City Manager and human resources. They already have a good rapport with them!”

Preparing for their first GELC-led negotiations with Rep. Thomas in May felt a lot different for South Haven General Employees, who have a renewed sense of confidence in the capabilities of their Union.

“Dave Thomas just seems like a genuine guy, speaking the truth,” Sisson said. “IBEW promised they would get you this and that. Dave isn’t saying stuff like that. He just tells us that this is the way it is and that’s it. He says, ‘I’m not going to promise you anything, but we’re going to try to get you what you deserve.’”