Posts tagged police unions
‘Blue Power’ and the Rise of Police Union Politics
April 18, 2026 // "Everybody else can indulge in politics—every black group, every political party group, every church group," groused Carl Parsell, then president of the Detroit Police Officers Association, in 1969. "Why are police officers so different?" The question goes to the heart of Stuart Schrader's Blue Power, a new book charting how police unions accreted and cemented power in the decades following Parsell's query. It's a ripe subject for review: Police officers' savvy use of public sector unions and lobbying to largely immunize themselves from oversight is one of the greatest political coups in recent American history. In under four decades, police unions evolved from beer-drinking clubs to organized bargaining units to potent political forces at the local, state, and national levels.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis backs a new bill targeting unions; those who support him won’t be affected
March 3, 2026 // In 2023, the Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill 256, a measure designed to attack public sector unions by making it harder for them to collect dues, while simultaneously forcing them to show that at least 60% of their members were paying their dues. Any union that failed to meet that 60% threshold faced a decertification vote.
Former Chattanooga police chief, unions strike deal over subpoena
January 30, 2025 // The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported in March that Murphy's Tennessee voter registration did not line up with a primary residence tax exemption she received in Fulton County, Georgia. Three months later, Murphy, 56, was indicted on charges including illegal voter registration, false entries on official registration or election documents, false entries in governmental records, forgery, perjury and official misconduct. As part of her criminal defense, Murphy issued the subpoenas to the unions.
MICHIGAN: Reforming Union Contracts Can Improve Policing
January 2, 2024 // Collective bargaining agreements stymie transparency and adequate discipline