Posts tagged police officers
Proposal giving most Denver employees collective bargaining rights moves forward
June 7, 2024 // Public safety officers, career service employees of the Denver Health and Hospital Authority, employees with managerial duties and hiring capacities, and certain political appointees would be excluded from collective bargaining under the proposal. What's next: If voters approve the measure, it would go into effect on May 1, 2025. Denver would join cities like Detroit, Seattle and Portland with similar rights for its municipal staff if successful
UConn professors’ union angers cops with letter defending student protesters
May 9, 2024 // “We need to keep in mind that there are countless ways for students, faculty, staff, and others in our community to exercise their constitutional right to free speech that do not violate University policy or practice,” Maric, D’Alleva, and Furst wrote. “The group assembled did not comply with requirements to reserve the space for their use, the University initially permitted them to remain. At the same time, content-neutral restrictions on time, place, and manner of expression enable a diverse community like ours to share the same space and enjoy equal rights.” “Given the importance of free speech and freedom of assembly in public space, we condemn the administration’s mobilization of the police,” the letter continued. “We urge the UConn administration not to pursue disciplinary action against peaceful protesters. It is the responsibility of the labor movement to be first line defenders of civil liberties, and we stand in solidarity with students and demand that the University of Connecticut honor their right to assemble and exercise free speech.” “The continued anti-police movement continues to result in low department morale, heavy officer employment turnover and a decrease in public servants filling the ranks, not only at UConn, but many other police agencies in Connecticut and across the country,” the CPFU wrote.
Tens of thousands of workers in Florida have just lost their labor unions. More is coming.
February 22, 2024 // The numbers are not being tracked or published by the state or any labor organization, so WLRN requested the records and created a public database to track the fallout of the law. Most affected employees perform core public sector jobs like teaching in schools, doing clerical work for state and local government, repairing engines and machinery for government agencies, answering 911 calls at call centers and working at city parks.
MICHIGAN: Reforming Union Contracts Can Improve Policing
January 2, 2024 // Collective bargaining agreements stymie transparency and adequate discipline
Vernon, police union reach agreement over contract, ending court dispute
October 28, 2023 // The town and union had previously gone to arbitration with the union over pay and healthcare premiums during which the town failed to submit its final best offers on a wide range of contract issues to the arbitrators in what was called a “scrivener’s error,” resulting in the arbitration panel awarding the union everything it asked for at the time. The town then took the matter to court to overturn the arbitration decision. Vernon argued that because both parties agreed to waive statutory arbitration requirements, it was not required to submit last best offers on issues that were not in dispute. The arbitration panel disagreed with this argument, saying state statute requires that they reach a decision according to the statement of the last best offer and could not consider any offer that wasn’t documented in writing before them. That court case, which had statutory interpretation issues at stake, however, will no longer play out as the town and union appear to have reached an agreement, primarily around pay for officers and maintaining previous contract language around a number of other issues that had been decided by the arbitration panel when there was no final best offer from the town.
Former corrections officers’ union officials charged with theft of union funds
August 29, 2023 // Back in 2019, corrections officers and then PSCOA members, Cory Yedlosky and Chris Taylor, initiated an investigation of the local union SCI Huntingdon’s finances, finding thousands of dollars in transactions that violated the union’s own financial procedures. However, then-PSCOA president Bloom “blew off” the allegations. Yedlosky and Taylor were dissatisfied with the union’s handling of their investigation and chose to resign their union membership as a result. Then, in 2020 they filed a lawsuit against the union. A month later, state police arrested former SCI Huntingdon treasurer Bryan Peroni for writing checks from the union’s accounts to himself and another union official, totaling nearly $30,000. The officers’ lawsuit, Yedlosky v. PSCOA, ultimately led Pennsylvania state police to file charges against Bloom and four other union officials last month.
When California’s public workers go on strike
August 11, 2023 // On Tuesday, thousands of city workers across Los Angeles, including staff at LAX and Van Nuys airport, City Hall, animal shelters, public swimming pools and other facilities, walked off the job for a 24-hour strike, reports the Los Angeles Times. There have been some efforts in the Legislature to expand strike rights for public workers. State Sen. Tom Umberg, a Democrat from Santa Ana, has proposed a constitutional amendment that would enshrine every worker’s right, including public sector employees, to join a union and negotiate with their employers “to protect their economic well-being and safety at work.” Another measure, authored by Democratic Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes of San Bernardino, would protect public employees from disciplinary action if they join a sympathy strike, refuse to cross a picket line or refuse cover work for striking co-workers.
‘Right to Organize’ Amendment Violates Constitution
May 19, 2023 //
St. Paul: Ramsey County will award $500 to $1K bonuses as part of deal with labor unions
February 8, 2022 // Workers who have been "required to work on-site and provide direct in-person services/care" will receive $1,000 bonuses, while workers who worked remotely will get $500. The county is tapping some of its $108 million in federal aid as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to cover the bonuses.
Many Maryland state government workers will get raises under new contracts
December 20, 2021 // Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s administration has reached agreements with multiple unions that will mean raises for many state employees.