This Contract

[Unregistered]

There is still so much wrong with it. Unanswered questions etc..... The big selling point was the LT'S getting a huge raise. I mean that's why I'm voting for it for sure. But, even beyond that, the process so reeks. The snake and sell out cesar cried and moaned. Then, not to my surprise the chief got involved by going to his old buddy fat boy Bobby and helped the snake file a complaint against what was going on here. Carlito has been more than outspoken about his sheer disdain for Joey poophead. So, hey why not employ the services of the snake. Help break the backbone of our union, get rid of Joey P, hold off duty work on the beach over our heads, promise a bunch of stuff that'll never happen, just lie like a cheap rug. Also, bring in your beach boys and slowly empower them until you can give them sweet spots. With an election around the corner, and Carlito so involved, then perhaps it'll backfire on him aND the manager.

[Unregistered]

Article 10. Promotional Appointments of the new contract. What, exactly, does it mean?

Our Union leadership is hosing us again. It has been well beyond 30 days since Capt. DM left and where is the Sergeant’s test? Where is the 90 day notice? Why hasn’t FOP Management addressed this issue? Where are your leaders? I suppose the City can do whatever it pleases since we are so easy to push around and ignore.

Why must eligibility depend upon your being with North Bay Village for three years? We have many new hires that have much more experience from larger police departments than some North Bay Village officers have. That experience qualification should be in the police field, not restricted to Village experience. We all know that Opa-Locka and other Departments are very active and more diverse than North Bay Village. These officers are heavy in experience and knowledge. It appears that FOP Management is afraid of competition for the Sergeant’s position and don’t want to study. Once again an add on to the existing two tier system in the Village. Screw the new hires.

10.6 reads in part
Promotional exam made up of multiple components, maybe one or all of the following, a written, oral, in-box, assessment center, or interview panel whose value will be determined by the Chief.

Are you $hitting me, you are accepting that? When is all of that determined? I’m sure that determination is after the written exam and they can see who is where, how the chosen and non-chosen line up on the list. What if the test counts 1% and the Chief interview is 99%? Are you a Chief favorite? What if the Chief is off for a week and one of the Lieutenants is queen for a day, who gets screwed? Throw in that “promote from the top three” crap and there is absolutely no fairness. May as well not have this in the contract, the City gets its way and you get the highway.

These decisions must all be settled prior to contract approval so that it’s in writing with no favoritism or possibility of change.

10.8 states that
Appointments will be made from the top three. Seldom does a small Department have promotions and this will screw you, big time. Everyone knows what the top three means….not in the correct click, or a supervisor doesn’t like you so you get skipped, no reason offered. It’s that easy to do and not good. With the City in absolute control, why take the test at all?

Think about it, who is a favorite now, who is on the outs? Who will receive that position and who will not? Who is your personal favorite and who not? See, you can do it yourself only you don’t have the rank. Who does have the rank? Do you trust them? This section must be specific, if someone earns the right to a promotion they deserve that promotion, promote them, if they fail, demote them, but do so fairly. With the City in charge with so many variables that they can pick and choose. When they alone make decisions on what and whom they choose, we all lose.

Dump the Contract totally, start over, include everyone and be fair to all your officers. We are supposed to be a “Brotherhood”.

Next discussion, Article 9-Vehicles and Equipment.

[Unregistered]

Article 9-Vehicles and Equipment. Kind of Crappy because it treats certain officers differently than others.

9.3.5 – Lts. and detectives get $75 a month stipend ($900 yearly) for a cell phone, Sgts, Cpls. and favorite officers get $40 a month ($480 yearly), everyone else F U! It is lucrative to be a favorite, how can I be a favorite? Detectives also get a $50 clothes stipend and a $50 clothes cleaning stipend a month ($1,200 yearly) for a grand total of $2,100 a year when including the phone stipend. The Lt. of Detectives also receives a 5% pay step, that’s approximately $5,000. What does he do more than the Uniform Lieutenant or even the other officers? What do uniform officers get? Screwed. The junior officers more so, where is the fairness and equality? Not in the contract.

The junior officers also get it up the yazoo on pay steps. I love the excuses the Union gives, “we have to argue, it is better than where you came from, the City is so tough, you will get it next year”, just tell the junior officers F U! Quit with the BS excuses.

We are getting it this year, not what or how we expected, but no waiting. We must demand to be treated equally, vote the contract out and force the Union to fairly represent ALL of us.

9.4.4. – What is a” rider” or more importantly, what is the meaning of “Rider”? A “rider” is mandatory to participate in the take home vehicle program but what does it mean? Must I get additional insurance for portal to portal driving? Kind of vague don’t you think? I don’t want the City to force their meaning on us, could be an expensive extra charge to our pocket book. Let’s get something on paper on this “rider” thing.

The take home vehicle program, it looks good on paper but think about it, is it being applied fairly, equally, of course not. What is happening right now? You know the situation. Yes, certain officers are being allowed to violate the policy, why? Friends of the Chief of course. Not fair for many others, but who cares? Not the Chief, not even the FOP. All the probationary officers can have take home vehicles also, all it takes is the Chief to allow them to participate, as easy as that. He did it for the new guys. The Chief can vary, change or even delete an entire Policy, he has varied it for his friends. Remember the “promotional, from the top three” section of the contract? It is being applied here. Demand your rights in writing so as to be understood by all.

Article 25 – Articles etc.

25.3 Bullet proof vests, “Police personnel shall be required to adhere to the Departmental Policy”. Not good, really sucks actually. This policy is what should be negotiated with the Department, not the Off Duty Policy. The City can change the Vest Policy at any time, you have no say. Once in the Contract it can’t be adjusted without Union approval. Example, how are you now with the current policy? All officers happy? $hit no. It’s 90 degrees out and you have to wear it, Manager says so because he has interpreted the prior contract his way, even though in the past it was the officer’s discretion as when to wear it. The wording never changed, just the Manager’s interpretation. Where was the FOP on this one, why, too busy to bother. So now, from the comfort of an air conditioned office, the Manager dictates policy and changes past practice, no matter the discomfort to you, he decides, so sweat it out fat boy.

This also must be negotiated prior to Contract approval, there must be specifics, boundaries, all must agree.

Agreeing to follow Policy prior to that Policy being written and understood by all, not good. Allowing others to interpret your contract is not the way to write a Union contract, that’s a terrible concession, stupid in fact.

Basically this entire contract should be voted down, start over, you have nothing to lose.

Next discussion, raises.

[Unregistered]

Let’s talk about the raise part of the contract. Twelve percent (12%) over the next three years is fair, they want you to forget in 2016 you get zilch, nothing, nada, OUCH! It will not be retroactive, OUCH again. Maybe not so fair after all huh?

A very big sticking point is the pay raise for the Lieutenants, now that’s a raise. Why such a big raise? Well the Chief is still working without a contract, so any raise to his employees he gets a bigger one. Not so much what the officers obtain as compared to what the Lieutenants are given, and I mean “GIVEN”. What do they do that is worth so much more monetarily than someone on road patrol? Lieutenants get to arrive late for work and leave early. Can anyone name a name? Well, he wears plain clothes and is seldom seen. He is always embroiled in uniform patrol affairs but is not assigned to uniform patrol, ah, now you know.

Back to being a Lieutenant, they get to take 1, 2 or three hour lunches, never to worry about getting a dispatch call. They laugh and joke as they kiss ass on the Chief, all the while disparaging the officers. They sit in their offices, leaving whenever they want to do whatever they want with minimal work product or responsibility of any kind. How are they in as great a danger as road officers? They get to pass on any tough decision to the Chief, hence the two new guys who have experience in decision making. They get unmarked vehicles to take home and a quiet permissiveness, thus ensuring that the Take Home Vehicle Policy is secretly changed for them and them alone. They are allowed to transport their families along with unlimited personal use. All of us have observed the process, that’s how it works, just not for you. Anyone see the memo of the two new guys getting a take home? Too bad, so sad.

Now the Lieutenants do deserve a raise, just not the gargantuan one proposed. They should be 5% to 6% above Sergeants pay, this way they are tied in with us, (not like those lowly new hires) when we get a raise they get one of equal value.

A looming question for me is how the Lieutenants pay increase will be applied. Normal people would say it’s obvious, well not so fast. Didn’t we hear just a short while ago that they would immediately be assigned the top step, no waiting like the rest of us? Is that going to happen now? The contract doesn’t explain that, thus up for interpretation, by the City. Isn’t the City the one pushing for their big raise? You can make a guess at what the decision will be.

Let us figure. A top Patrolman would receive 36.45 an hour or $75,816 in 2016, a Lieutenant getting maxed out immediately would earn $48.70 an hour or $101,296 yearly. Really? They do that much more work than me? They are in that much more danger than me? They have that much higher education than me? They have that much more experience than me? Are they in better shape than me? Shit, I can sit in a chair, enjoy the A/C, look out the window daydreaming, I can push a pencil, even make a decision unaided, I will even use spell check if you’re gonna pay me that much.

A high salary for the Lieutenants is good for the Chief though, as I said, his pay is determined by the Lieutenant’s standard. He should negotiate his own contract.

A lot of information has been purposely left out of this contract, nothing should be deferred to a future Policy being written by the City. Contracts often must be wordy, leaving nothing to the interpretation of your opponent and believe me, the City is your opponent, that’s just business and business is a bean counter.

Next discussion; am working on it.

[Unregistered]

Maybe next time we can get a raise every year just like everyone else does.