Why the Police Need Unions
By Cynthia Brown
If you want to understand why labor unions are a good as opposed to a bad thing, just check out what’s going on places like Atlantic City and New Orleans.
In Atlantic City, government officials used the same technique that they successfully used to take labor out of the frame in Detroit. They just declared a financial emergency.
That’s all it takes for an “emergency manager” to come in gand undo your current contract without judicial interference or recourse.
According to CBS News: “The police union, which represents officers in Atlantic City, has filed a lawsuit against the state after a chilling letter from Gov. Chris Christie announced pay cuts for police officers.
“This was not an easily reached decision,” said Atlantic City Police Department PBA Local 24.
“We did everything we possibly could to work with the state, but it became clear that they had no real intention to work with us, do what’s best for the city or protect public’s safety in our town.”
In Louisiana politicians had an easier time because it’s a so-called “right to work” state.
According to The New Orleans Advocate: “The commission voted 4-0 to allow Superintendent Michael Harrison to pick the commanders who run the department’s eight geographic districts and other major divisions. Harrison said the proposal would cement recent reforms made under a consent decree with the federal government. The OK for the plan came over the objection of all three major police unions.
See more on this story on HERE.
The whole point of labor unions is pretty simple. By organizing and bargaining for wages and benefits collectively, employees stand a better shot of not being ripped off or mistreated by employers.
The fact that the governor in New Jersey can just cut cops’ pay in a given city and give a boss unilateral power to hire and fire commanders as he or she see fits is what policy looks like without unions or when unions are stripped of their bargaining power. Watch out for more paycuts and chiefs and sheriffs getting more power to hire and fire employees at will. It’s coming.
Cynthia Brown is the site administrator for PubSecAlliance.