UPDATED: Avery gets mediation job
The long dormant State Board of Mediation is about to be revived, with Rep. Jim Avery at the helm.
Gov. Matt Blunt announced Friday that he had appointed Avery, 36 of Crestwood, to the board that oversees elections by public employees on whether to join unions.
Blunt had done away with the board in 2005, transferring its duties to the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission, but that move was reversed by the Missouri Supreme Court in 2007.
Avery has served in the House since 2002. A member of the Missouri National Guard, he spent 2004 in Iraq, locating roadside bombs.
He considered running for the Senate but decided to leave the Legislature instead. He could have run for one more term in the House.
“I just really wanted to be home,” Avery said Monday.
If the Senate confirms his appointment, as expected, he said he will live in the St. Louis area and work out of the Wainwright Building downtown.
Avery said he expects the Senate Gubernatorial Appointments Committee to hold a hearing on his nomination Wednesday.
He said he was unsure whether he would leave the House immediately after being confirmed or wait until the session ends May 16.
UPDATE: Finally got this: The state has $61,856 allotted for Avery’s salary.
Virginia,
Any news on who will hold the employer/employee slots?