"A group of employees contacted us about six months ago," says Gerald Haskell, staff representative for the Salt Lake City-based Utah Alliance of Government Employees (UAGE).

The workers, he adds, complained that their employee association falls short in representing their concerns.

UAGE representatives then launched monthly meetings with employees in the largely Republican county.

Their concerns revolved around having little or no say about certain policies, Haskell says. For one, the county's wellness program draws $5 out of every paycheck. That money is reimbursed in full at year's end if employees participate in prescribed classes.

"It was an arbitrary decision they handed down, saying you will do it and that's it," said Robert Nielsen, a county facilities management supervisor active in the unionization effort.

Another beef centered around policy changes in the Sheriff's Office. To pass county-mandated fitness tests, deputies had been allowed to work out during work hours if they had slack time.

In January, that policy changed - workers now have to exercise on their own time - due to worker-compensation claims the department deemed inappropriate.

"If there are problems here at the county," Nielsen says, "you go to personnel and get routed back to your own director. You get stuck in a circle, and UAGE would give a third voice."

County Personnel Director Steve Baker sees no benefit from unionization because workers already can join the Davis County Employees Association.

Almost half the county's 1,000 workers have signed on to DCEA, an association that aims to boost employee morale, organize social gatherings and act as an advisory board to county commissioners.

DCEA President Curtis Koch credits the association with helping to establish the county's 401(k) program. However, the association's board draws the line at involvement in any personnel disputes, he says.

Some employees view DCEA as an arm of the commission - a management-supported and -run organization.

That can be a problem, says UAGE staff representative John Valdez.

Third-party representation can make a difference, he adds, by looking out for the employee's benefit, being emotionally detached and having a knowledge of national trends.

Whether the effort gains a foothold in conservative Davis County remains to be seen.

"We've had people come in hats, dark glasses and big coats so people don't see them come in," Nielsen says. "But they show up at the meetings, which tells us there is a problem."

cmckitrick@sltrib.com