Weekly News – Nov. 16, 2013

Fort Myers P.D. Gets an overwhelming win
Voters in Fort Myers, Fl. soundly rejected a ballot measure that would have disbanded the city police department. Opponents of the measure said it would increase response times and cost more, so it was really a lose-lose proposition for everyone involved. Luckily, the citizens were well-informed and made the right choice. Ron DeLord, a labor relations consultant and former president of CLEAT, pointed out that if the measure had passed, “it would have required the city to pay off its unfunded liability for those officers in the defined benefit pension plan. The mayor said it would bankrupt the city.”

Public pensions: Minnesota commission to review options
The Minnesota Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement is considering a move from a defined-benefit pension plan to a defined-contribution plan (which is similar to a 401(k)) or a hybrid model that combines characteristics of both plans. Such a move would basically be taking away some of the financial security of retirees in an attempt to save money. Defined-contribution plans require more financial savvy on the part of workers and retirees and have a lot more potential for failure – if such a move were made it would be a setback for labor and a win for the financial industry.

Pittsburgh voters want employees to live in city
In Pittsburgh, voters recently passed a referendum requiring police officers and other city personnel to live within city limits. Many cities have such rules, figuring that workers will do their jobs better if they have some skin in the game. With police officers, there is an additional benefit to having them live locally – citizens always feel safer having an officer in the neighborhood. However, it can be present challenges to city workers in terms of costs, and it can be uncomfortable for police and prosecutors to live close to the people they are arresting and prosecuting. It is also taking away the freedom of city workers on a fairly basic level – the freedom to live where they choose. The FOP is challenging the requirement in Pittsburgh and the issue may end up being decided in the courts.

Take-home cruiser regulations in flux
Police in Yakima City, Wash. have just had new contracts approved by the city council. The contracts do not include wage increases but instead will give each officer a take-home police cruiser. In Lexington, Ky., police are asking the city to revoke a policy limiting the off-duty use of their take-home cruisers. The program was supposed to save the city money, but the savings have not materialized in the amounts the city was anticipating. Instead the city has seen minor savings and a large reduction in the number of calls that off-duty police officers were able to respond to.

Stalled talks send unions, state to impasse hearings
In Michigan, government officials and unions representing over 30,000 state employees have failed to reach an agreement on the next round of contracts. Now they are heading for impasse hearings, which are private mediations held before the Civil Service Commission. At the heart of the disagreements are issues like increasing insurance costs to employees and changes to health care plans. The Michigan Corrections Organization also referred to the state’s wage proposals as “pitiful.”

Dues Deduction for Public Sector Unions is an Offense to our Much-Fleeced Taxpayers
There is a well-organized, well-financed effort nationwide to prohibit the practice of automatic dues deductions for police unions and associations. We must work hard to make sure this policy doesn’t spread any further than it has. Here’s a recent article that appeared in Forbes advocating for the end of automatic dues deduction for public sector employees.

– Cynthia Brown, PubSec Administrator