Whoever said, “A few bad apples can bring the whole place down” knew what they were talking about. Here’s one story that certainly reinforces the that notion. According to The Boston Globe, 20 Massachuetts State Troopers are being investigated for theft of overtime pay. Reporters Mark Arsenault, Travis Andersen, and Shelley Murphy write: “In another black […]
Archive for October, 2016
Obama mouthpiece gets union busting gig
While it is not surprising that those who worked for a corporate Democrat like President Barack Obama have moved on to shilling for Big Business after they leave the White House, usually the opportunism is less crass than this. Robert Gibbs, President Obama’s former press secretary, has signed on through his public relations firm to […]
Right to work nation
It’s the most important case involving unions and collective bargaining in the last 50 years in this country. The case is Harris v. Quinn and the opinion will be written by a guy that absolutely hates unions, Justice Sam Alito. The only thing more interesting than the outcome of the Supreme Court case is the […]
A deal is not a deal
Here’s a new dynamic that will be familiar to anyone working on things like collective bargaining. A police association reaches a deal with the city, usually through a city manager acting as the city’s negotiator. Then the city manager brings the done deal back to city officials. Then the city says the cops haven’t agreed […]
Flag on the play
In Nebraska, Omaha’s police union has filed a lawsuit against the City of Omaha, arguing that the city has improperly attempted to change its contract with the association. The complaint filed this week in Douglas County District Court is related to the contract that expired in December. The Omaha Police Officers Association says a clause […]
No new taxes, just fees
Chicago would raise a monthly emergency service surcharge on phone lines to free up $50 million in operating funds to increase its payments to two city pension funds under a proposed ordinance introduced last Wednesday. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and 36 city council members backed the ordinance, which would increase the current surcharge, generating an additional […]
Unions Square Off Against Christie
“Declare a State fiscal emergency after spouting extremely bloated revenue projections, miss the mark by a mile, and contractual law obligation is then nullified. So much for the rule of law & constitutional obligations in the great state of New Jersey.” – Chris Burgos, President, New Jersey State Troopers Assoc.
Do cops have right to free speech?
In a decision that clarifies a public employee’s free-speech rights, the Supreme Court in Lane v. Franks has held sworn testimony is entitled to First Amendment protection. This decision may have only a limited effect on employees of a law enforcement agency because, as the law now stands, such testimony must be given outside the […]
There’s no surveillance state exemption for cops
Surveillance is big business. It’s a growth industry in both the public and private sectors. It’s also a runaway freight train with no brakes. Most of us are too old to understand the details in terms of the way the surveillance state operates. We still think in archaic terms like “wire taps” and “bugging devices,” […]
Police association goes above and beyond
The San Antonio Police Officers Association raised more than $14,000 for a teenager who was hit and dragged by a big rig. In March, Cody Culp, 17, was crossing Leslie Road on his way to O’Connor High School when an 18-wheeler hit him. He was dragged about 40 feet before the driver could stop. Culp […]
We want one of our own!
In Grand Rapids, Michigan, City Manager Greg Sundstrom this morning announced four finalists for Grand Rapids police chief, none of whom are internal candidates. “We’re kind of being cheated out of hearing from someone internal who has the most knowledge of where we’ve been, where we’re at and where we need to go,” said Capt. […]
Hell yes we’re going to court!
The leaders of the Memphis police and fire unions say they will sue the city over changes in employee health insurance approved this month and are prepared to add pension changes to the litigation if the council approves those changes next month. “From my point of view, the administration has left us no choice but […]
Never defend the indefensible
The officer seen pulling a man from a wheelchair in a now-infamous surveillance video is officially no longer part of the Duluth Police Department. The department said recently that the Duluth Police Union Local 807 has dropped its opposition to the department’s efforts to terminate Officer Richard Jouppi. A Pine County jury cleared Jouppi of […]
Fair and balanced
In Connecticut, the police association representing New London police expressed frustration this week over what it claims is an internal review by department leadership into a posting on the union’s website. At issue is a posting asserting that a Fox television news reporter was “verbally assaulted” while trying to collect information from the police department. […]
Judge tosses stop and frisk lawsuit
A Manhattan judge this week tossed the NYPD PBA’s challenge to a law that makes it easier for people who think they were racially profiled by cops before a stop and frisk to sue individual officers. “This court recognizes that police officers must make split-second decision when engaging in investigative stops,” Justice Anil Singh ruled. […]
Change gamers
Many cities, counties and states are trying to change the laws covering contract negotiations between groups like police associations and government officials. This makes sense because there are still some laws on the books that prevent greedy individuals from screwing the working man out of his or her retirement savings. It’s the laws that work […]
Better than nothing
In New York, Syracuse police officers have reached a new labor contract with the city, more than three years after the old one expired. The 428 Syracuse police officers will have to pay about twice as much for health insurance, but will get two percent raises for 2013, 2014 and 2015. “I don’t think either […]
8 tips for better PR
Good morning! Here’s 8 tips from PubSec that will make you more successful. 1. Make sure there are a couple of decent photos of association presidents and other leaders available for the media and on the internet. 2. Make sure there is at least one image of the president or association leader where he or […]
We vote no
In Texas, just one week after the mayor reached a tentative agreement with the Houston Fire Department’s union on a new contract, the union voted it down by an overwhelming margin. The Houston Professional Firefighters Association said more than 93 percent of its members voted against the tentative agreement for a new 30-month contract between […]
Big spenders
In Nevada, the Reno City Council may double what the City is paying to a legal firm to negotiate its union contracts, again. This week, an item on the Council agenda was pulled and continued to June 25. It would pay the firm Fisher & Phillips LLP up to $600,000 to negotiate its union contracts. […]
Being right is not enough
When it comes to attacks on our pay, pensions and health care the truth is squarely on the side of public employees. But these days the truth isn’t enough. You need good talking points, a serious political ground-game and ammunition to fire back at misrepresentations and flat-out lies. Ron York at Policepay.net has put together […]
Association calls foul on civilian investigation
Portland’s police union president, in a message to union members, slammed the city’s effort to allow for independent investigations into alleged officer misconduct by an arm of the city auditor’s office – the Independent Police Review Division. Officer Daryl Turner contends the civilian investigators in the division are “trampling on” his union members’ rights and […]
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