Union, Union, Union

The Good, Bad, and the Ugly

Yes, that is the Polk County Sheriff's Office or any other business. Lets start with the good:

Decent pay, great benefits, nice toys, higher education paid for, room for advancment, uniforms paid for, use of vehicles off duty, and some really good folks working hard for their community.

The Bad- Supervisors with no skills in managing people, poor radio reception, lack of officers, pay not compatible with surrounding counties, having to be available 24/7, very little overtime w/ lots of flex time.

The Ugly- Unfair disciplinary procedures, officer safety issues, lots of nepotism, promotions are based on a good old boy system.

Unions are for the officers not the administration, hence their exuberant opposition. Mention the word Union and watch them scramble and try to dissuade officers from joining. Now take a just a little of that common sense that street officers are know for and think: Unions represent officers, top administation is totally opposed to Union involvment, huh? Yep it's a no brainer, it must be something that will benefit the line officer and limit the power of the administration.

Mention Union and the first thing management will tell you is the officers loose everything, you go to the bargining table with nothing. Well, yes that is true everything will begin at ground zero but just bare with me and use a little more of that innate officer intelligence. Do you really think that in todays competitive market that the starting pay for deputies will be less than surrounding agencies of like size? Or that as county workers you will not be entitled to 80 hours of holiday leave? The labor market and economy will play a greater roll in determining salaries than the agency during negotiations. Remember the agency won't be calling all the shots, the Union with their attorney's will be fighting for you- the officer.

And speaking of lawyers, how nice would it be to have legal representation present and that can defend you in all stages of the disciplinary process. I would venture to say that supervisors with personal agendas or vendetta's will be hesitant to call officers in for trivial issues when they will have to go up against legal counsel. It would be a safe bet to also assume that the amount of disciplinary measures dispensed would decrease and would be more uniform.

Promotional practices would also be subject to change. No more promotions based on, "Who's your daddy". I know that last line sounded childish and less than professional, but that is the reality of our promotional system. Wow, what that could do for morale. Imagine a world where ability would actually matter. Just think of the possibilities; promoting people based on the ability to lead and manage people, now that is thinking outside the box!!!!! No more capricious decisions based on politics.

These are just my thoughts and a little of my education and common sense being shared with my brothers and sisters. Unions give you the officer power and limit the scope and breadth of the Sheriff and his staff, and all for just a small monetary fee. It's a good deal, just look at the other larger agencies Hillsborough Co, West Palm Beach, Orange, FDLE, to mention just a few, come on they obviously know something we don't.

Think, reflect, talk, and ask questions. How do you know you don't like something if you never take the chance to try it out.

no, LPD has the union and they have the same complaints and issues as us w/o the union.

Unions raise your pay to take out fees, etc. so you're back to making the same amount.

If the union tries to make their stance again with us, I will still vote no.

Before you say "no" too loudly, you need to contact Palm Beach SO. I know some guys down there and they got a huge pay raise with their first contract. (I think about 14.5% COLA spread over 3 years, plus 5% merit per year, plus starting pay raised from around 36k to 42k.) There was alot more that I was told, but I can't remember it all. I'm not really for or against at this point...I just think we should look into it.

no, and i will still say it ...they raise your salary, then charge you to be in the union.... unions only create more hassle and loops to go through. I dont live in Palm Beach, the union cannot give us more money if the county refuses to give it to them. ... Palm Beach has more money to play with due to larger richer workforce and companies and tourist areas. We dont. We are a rental area for Disney and Tampa.

Okay fine, you put the union in this agency... they raise our pay.. great! well then the extra benefits would disappear... wed have to pay more for insurance, pay union dues, pay things that right now the S.O. absorbs. I wouldnt want the entire or even half of the insurance that the S.O. pays on my family. You put the Union in this agency, you sign up for it and I dont.. I still get the pay you get and you have annual dues to pay, so now i make more then you.

Dont open a can of worms with the union, they are not cracked up what they showboat around. dont listen to their hype, listen to the people they represent. I did my reasearch the last time a push for the union was tried, which was turned down. And it just HAPPENED to be before election year.

I'm from Polk County and don't work for your SO because the pay stinks. I moved to Collier and work for the SO down here now. We don't have a union and new dep's start at 39k here. Hell, I've been here 2 years and make 49k as a slick sleeve d/s. It's just your area, I don't think a union could change the fact that money will never be in good 'ol polk county.

lakeland pays approximately $38.00 a month in union dues. the disciplinary procedure has gotten 100% better since the union arrived. the promotional process still stinks but thats not a union issue. as for raises, LPD is about to get a raise with their new contract which is being negotiated now. as for PCSO it will more than likely get a raise due to LPD getting a raise, similiar to last time. the good ol boy system in lakeland has been seriously handicapped since the union arrived.

Although I do agree with all the previous guest has stated about LPD.... PCSO RARELY gets a raise to even COMPARE with LPD or HCSO. PSCO is made to feel like we should celebrate the fact we are even getting a COLA raise.

We will never compare or even come close to the surrounding agencies. We should but I do not see it happening.

And as I can already anticipate the next clueless readers comment.... WHY DONT YOU GO SOMEWHERE ELSE THEN.... ummm because that would mean 1. taking a pay cut... 2. loosing any seniority.... 3. IT just aint possible to pick up in the middle of a career for most and jump ship.

I'M NOT FROM AROUND THESE PARTS, SO COULD SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT DOES OR IS "THE GOOD OL BOY SYSTEM" MEANS!! I HEAR IT A LOT AND IS COMPLETELY CLUELESS WHEN SOMEONE USES THE PHRASE. SO SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME WITH THE UNDERSTANDING OF THIS.

the good ole boy system basically means that everything is handed out based on who you know,not what you know or how qualified you are. this means cars,toys,special assignments,promotions, and most importantly: discipline.

i am am member of the PBA. i work for PCSO and joined on my own more for the PBA'a insurance than anything. i got into a bind here and they provided me with a lawyer,counsel during interviews,anything i asked for. and it cost me $25\mo. that's it. they gave me the security to fight back when i was falsely accused. don't say the unions will jack up our pay just to take it in dues. dues are a tax deduction anyway. and at $40\mo that's not even $500 a year. i'm pretty sure any union out there could score us a 25 cent per hour pay hike to cover te cost of dues over a year.

the staff went crazy a few years ago when the PBA held a blue card drive. they went to briefings,misquoting numbers and such. unions take away their monopoly on power. it takes away the ability to single out a member for personal reasons began writing paper for every little thing they do while letting the person in the next cubicle slide for the same transgressions. it means treating people with equality. i recall reading something like that on a plaque in the main ops center. it means that every vacancy gets posted. no more shady deals to shuffle people around. only people who apply for jobs get them.

granted the county only has so much money to hand out. no union can come in and give us a 10k pay raise overnight. it is a slow process with a union. they build on top of past accomplishments. the problem now is there is no one fighting for us NOW to build on. each year we hear how the staff fought for us and got our STEP increas funded. this sort of thing is budgeted,or should be. it should be a GIVEN,not something we fight for.

i think the unions are a good thing. before you make up your mind, talk to some PBA reps. or talk to a hillsborough county deputy. they've had a union for a few years and they rave about it. they have a great sheriff and so do we. with a union fighting for us and a sheriff who likes us like Judd does,we could really do well. don't let a few people scare you off until you research it on your own.

this area is represented by the west central florida PBA.

becoming a member of a union, is similiar to becoming a member of the communist party.

The loss of the ability to know or explore individuality as an employee when dealing with your employer? forget that.

Lmao... oh YES I LOVE the indivuduality I have at work every day... I REALLY get to be an individual and explore my individuality being the only one working my sector....

everyone gets paid the same no matter how hard they work.... that's communism. that's what we have. try jumping up an expressing an original thought and see where it gets you.

we work at the pleasure of the sheriff, and it seems we work for his amusement also.

i love working here and the union sucks so bad!!!

I think the union (even though it is new) has greatly improved LPD. We are still in an adjusting period but I believe you need a louder voice to speak on your behalf. The union has more strength than one cop or one deputy. As far as the dues are concerned they are tax deductible. so..... Change is always different and difficult but I think in the end the union is the way to go.