EASTERN MISSOURI COALITION OF POLICE
FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE, LODGE 15
9620 LACKLAND ROAD, ST. LOUIS, MO 63114
PHONE: (314) 423-8003 FAX: (314) 423-8054
WWW.FOPLODGE15.COM

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 17, 2008

CONTACT: Greg Kloeppel (314) 265-8865
Kevin Dolley (314) 749-1846

For First Time in 60 Years, Police Department in St. Louis County is Certified as Union Represented:

Police Officers for the City of Jennings Vote in Favor of Union Certification

Following the Missouri Supreme Court’s recent lifting of a 60 year ban on collective bargaining by police officers in the State of Missouri, the City of Jennings police officers just became the first police officers in St. Louis County to be certified as union represented. The City Police Department’s patrol officers, corporals, sergeants and lieutenants voted unanimously, 100 % support of those who voted, in favor of the Eastern Missouri Coalition of Police, Fraternal Order of the Police, Lodge 15 (“FOP Lodge 15”) as their union bargaining representative. The City Clerk certified FOP Lodge 15 as the union representative based on the election results and overwhelming union support that was received. FOP Lodge 15 is proud to be the first to obtain union certification for police officers in St. Louis County in over 60 years.

The City of Jennings originally refused to hold a secret ballot union certification election. FOP Lodge 15 was forced to file litigation in St. Louis County to force the resulting union election held by the City. See Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 15 v. City of Jennings, (St. Louis County Circuit Court Cause No. 08SL-CC00518).

In May of 2007, the Missouri Supreme Court overruled a 60 year old case and held that all employees, including all public sector employees (such as police officers and teachers) have the right to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing under Article I, Section 29 of the Missouri Constitution.

Kevin J. Dolley, attorney for FOP Lodge 15 in the litigation that resulted in the City of Jennings holding the secret ballot election stated that, “we anticipate that with the 60 year prohibition of collective bargaining lifted by the Missouri Supreme Court, many police officers throughout the area will begin discussions whether they want to move forward with collective bargaining through the Fraternal Order of Police.”


ABOUT FOP LODGE 15:

FOP Lodge 15, is a local Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, the largest professional police labor organization in the country. The Fraternal Order of Police is currently the exclusive bargaining representative for thousands of law enforcement agencies and has more than 325,000 members nationwide. FOP Lodge 15 is a regional lodge that includes police officers within St. Louis County, Jefferson County, Ste. Genevieve County, Franklin County, Warren County and St. Charles County.

FOP Lodge 15’s Executive Board and FOP Lodge 15’s legal counselors will be available for interviews with the media in regard to this matter at FOP Lodge 15 on November 18, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. Please contact FOP Lodge 15 directly if you wish to participate in this discussion.
 

In Second Try, Colorado Police And Firefighters Convince Voters To Pass Collective Bargaining Ordinance

From The Longmont Times-Call, November 8

LONGMONT, CO – Police and fire employees will have a say in their pay, benefits and working conditions.

After Boulder County posted final election results late Friday afternoon, leaders of police and fire employee groups claimed victory in their efforts to unionize.

“We are very pleased with the outcome of this election,” Detective Stephen Schulz, president of the Longmont Fraternal Order of Police, said Friday.

“This has been a goal of the firefighters and police officers of Longmont for five years.”

About 300 ballots were all that separated the votes allowing police and fire employees to form a collective-bargaining unit and require the city to negotiate with them for pay and benefits.

Longmont ballot question 2A won with 50.45 percent of the vote, with 17,580 people voting for the measure and 17,269 casting ballots against it.

Although the margin isn’t slim enough to trigger an automatic recount, it is narrow enough that voters might have to wait for county elections officials to verify and count provisional ballots cast in the election.

Longmont voters cast about 500 provisional ballots, and election officials still are checking those for voter eligibility. The county has until Nov. 18 to verify and count those ballots.

Schulz said that, even with the provisional ballots uncounted, he’s “cautiously optimistic” the results won’t affect the outcome.

The slim separation on the question mirrors the controversy over the issue leading up to Election Day.

Chris Treharne, a local business owner who formed Longmont Watch to campaign against the union issue, congratulated backers of 2A on running a well-organized and well-fought campaign.

But Treharne still thinks a union will cost the city more money, and labor contracts could bind the hands of city leaders who have to make tough decisions in tight budget years.

He formed Longmont Watch for one reason: “To keep the best interests of the citizens of Longmont at the forefront,” he said.

“The City Council has a fiduciary obligation to the citizens of Longmont, and I would hope the City Council upholds that,” he said Friday.

“I would hope that police and firefighters do as well; their union leaders have an obligation to the union, but their bigger obligation is to the citizens of Longmont.”

The amendment that voters passed requires the city to negotiate a labor contract with its sworn police officers and firefighters, as well as community service officers, technicians and dispatchers.

The bargaining unit would include police employees at or below the rank of sergeant and fire employees at or below the rank of lieutenant — about 230 employees total.

Police and fire employees would not be allowed to strike or participate in a work stoppage or slowdown and the union would not negotiate its first contract with the city until 2010.

Schulz said the union could start negotiations next year for a 2010 labor contract, but he said union leaders and members haven’t decided if they will do that or possibly wait another year.

As it was originally written, the amendment would have resorted to binding arbitration to decide labor contract issues.

But, leaders of the LFOP and the Longmont Professional Firefighters’ Association worked with city officials to rework the amendment.

Now, if city and union leaders are unable to agree on the terms of a labor contract, an outside mediator would make recommendations to both sides. If both sides still could not agree, voters would resolve the issue in a special election.

Voters soundly defeated police and firefighters’ efforts to unionize in 2004 by a 60-40 split.

Schulz said there was more animosity over the issue in 2004, both from the city and within police ranks. This time, there was more support from the City Council and less strife internally, he said.

Mayor Roger Lange, who was on the City Council in 2004, isn’t sure what was different this time.

Changing the amendment to allow voters to decide labor contract disputes — rather than an outside arbitrator — was “a good thing in my mind,” he said.

But Lange couldn’t say whether that played into voters’ decisions this time.

“It’s the public that made the decision, and the public has a mind of its own, and this is how they decided to vote on it,” he said. “It’s tough to try to figure out what was different this time around.”

Lange also didn’t want to predict how the union will affect the city in the future.

“It depends on what the (union) membership desires and how well we can collaborate to come to decision,” he said.

“Time will tell; it will be different than it has been in the past, but I’m hopeful that it will not be detrimental.”

Schulz thanked voters for supporting their public safety workers and said union leaders look forward to their partnership with the city.

“We believe future negotiations will be amicable ... and will be in the best interest of the citizens and the city of Longmont,” he said.

Vote Order for 2009 Conference

At the National Board meeting held in Detroit this September, the vote order for the 2009 National elections was determined. Following is that order.
 

Wednesday February 6, 2008
Sheriff's employees seek unionizing vote

By NICK BONHAM
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

The union representing Pueblo County Sheriff's Department deputies and employees voted Monday to pursue a collective bargaining ordinance with the county.

Local Chapter No. 7 of the Pueblo Sheriff's Fraternal Order of Police announced that 152 of 154 members voted in favor of the proposal.

Mike Violette, executive director of the state FOP labor council, said he plans to present the draft ordinance to county commissioners in coming weeks, with the request that it be referred to voters in a special election, possibly in August during the presidential primary.

"The union has no issues with the current sheriff or his staff," Violette said in a prepared statement. "It is the system that has been in place for many years that has brought the employees to this decision."

"The system has been broken for a while," said Sgt. Tommie McLallen, president of the union. "Health insurance is rising . . . our pay scale is pretty outdated. We understand that the pie is only so big, but we want to sit down and have an equal voice with the county."

McLallen said the union would work for a contract that would be reasonable to employees and to taxpayers.

The ordinance will also include "fair and equitable treatment" during disciplinary actions and internal investigations. If the ordinance doesn't go to voters, deputy Jason Guagliardo, vice president of the union, said the union can petition the community and get the matter placed on the ballot.

The union formed in July and consists of 202 members, including officers from the rank of lieutenant to civilians..

2007 California

2009 South Dakota

2011 Missouri

2013 Kansas

2015 Nebraska

2017 Idaho

2019 Oklahoma

2021 Washington

2023 Nevada

2025 Minnesota

2027 North Dakota

2029 Wyoming

2031 Utah

2033 New Mexico

2035 Arizona

2037 Colorado.

Thanks, KC