The union representing support staff in the Klamath Falls City School District has filed a third unfair labor practices complaint, alleging district leaders tried to undermine the union and discourage participation.
The Klamath Falls Association of Classified Employees (KFACE) represents employees like bus drivers, health aides and secretaries.
The most recent complaint, filed at the end of March with Oregon's Employment Relations Board, alleges the district tried to stop union members from participating in protected activities — for example, by prohibiting them from holding a demonstration.
"It shows a pattern of animus towards the right of public employees at the district to engage in these type of activities," said Jason Weyand, attorney for the union. "Even more troubling is the what I would call increasingly intense and unusual personal attacks coming against the president of the association. It’s not normal."
Superintendent Keith Brown declined to comment.
The new complaint follows two earlier filings. A 2021 complaint was decided in the union’s favor, though Weyand said the district appealed. The ruling found the district violated state law by threatening a union member's job security because she engaged in protected activity and by disciplining union President Lisa Danskin for using the district’s email system for union communications.
A hearing on a second complaint was held in January, but a decision has not been issued. That case includes allegations that the district tried to bar employees from wearing T-shirts linking to information about workplace rights because the content was “too negative.”
Weyand said the union is seeking accountability from district leaders.
"The district is not showing a willingness to change quickly or even accept responsibility or admit where there's been mistakes," he said. "It really is about stopping the behavior, remedying the recent history and getting an apology and a retraction would be helpful."
The third complaint alleges Danskin has been "personally and baselessly disparaged" for participating in union involvement.
In a March press release, Brown criticized union leadership, writing that the "antics" and "inflammatory language" used by KFACE leaders do not reflect the values the district aims to teach. The statement also suggested union actions were driven by a desire for “personal notoriety” rather than improving working conditions or student outcomes.
The complaint also references a February press release in which Brown solicited volunteers to help with duties like recess supervision, meal service and transportation monitoring in the event of a strike.
"That is something I've never seen an employer do," Weyand said. "It just shows a massive disconnect in reality and just kind of a fundamental disrespect for the employees' work."
The union and the district have been negotiating a new contract for more than a year. The dispute centers on wages, with union leaders arguing that the current pay has not kept pace with the cost of living. The two sides have begun mediation.
