Updates from the States:
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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.
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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.
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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.
1) Executive Board
2) Texas
3) Nevada
4) Louisiana
5) Maine
6) Oklahoma
7) South Dakota
8) South Carolina
9) Nebraska
10) Kentucky
11) Florida
12) Virginia
13) Colorado
14) Missouri
15) Hawaii
16) Vermont
17) Washington
18) Alabama
19) District of Columbia
20) Montana
21) New Hampshire
22) California
23) New York
24) Tennessee
25) North Carolina
26) Delaware |
27) Connecticut
28) Minnesota
29) Arizona
30) Illinois
31) Idaho
32) Mississippi
33) Georgia
34) Rhode Island
35) Iowa
36) Utah
37) West Virginia
38) New Mexico
39) Indiana
40) New Jersey
41) Maryland
42) Arkansas
43) Alaska
44) North Dakota
45) Wyoming
46) Oregon
47) Ohio
48) Wisconsin
49) Massachusetts
50) Kansas
51) Pennsylvania
52) Michigan |
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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.. |
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| Order of Western
States Chairman |
| In accordance with the By-Laws change the order that
States will begin their position as the Western States Chairman;
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
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