Just Say No To PBA Kool-Aide!

On the Lee County site I see the guys name at IUPA is Jeff 941-313-0030. Lets have IUPA give us a presentation and see what they have to offer.

For those who want facts, this is posted on LEOaffairs and is available on the Internet and through IUPA.
viewtopic.php?f=44&t=80543

FHP Trooper on IUPA
by Be Informed on 11/19/08 20:12:24

My name is Neil Mariotti and I have been a trooper with FHP since 1985. I started in Orange County and since 1987 I’ve been in the Palatka district of Troop G. When IUPA-FL Local 6000 was the collective bargaining unit for State Law Enforcement I was the FHP Board Member for FHP. I now serve as the Chairman of IUPA-FL Local 6000. I’ve been asked by IUPA to answer some questions about IUPA and its history as the SLEO bargaining unit.

To understand how bad things were before 2000, you have to have an understanding of our working conditions back then. Back then we worked a 28 day, 160 work period. ANY overtime that was earned in that period could be and was often off-set against ANY leave taken during that period. Even sick leave. When overtime was offered (ISLE) we had to work all of the 160 hours during the period! Any time off, even a sick day or family sick day meant you did not get your time and a half rate of pay if you work OT, just your flat pay rate. A good deal for the state, to say the least! Our holiday hours were another story. Think you earned that Christmas holiday? Maybe, unless you took ANY type of leave during that period. You called in sick? Well, don’t worry, we’ll use your Christmas holiday! That is just a few of the examples I can think of. IUPA change that through a new contract. We also used to be able to “bank” our holiday or as it’s called now our special comp. time. Come retirement time you could sell it back. Not under PBA. They negotiated that benefit away in the ‘90’s and sought nothing in return. IUPA took that case all the way to the Supreme Court in FL. to attempt to re-gain that benefit, but the Court ruled in favor of the state. Now we have a 240 cap on how much special comp. time we can bank thanks to the PBA.

IUPA’s biggest accomplishment has been in the area of the contract. Since 2000, IUPA held management to the Federal Fair Labor and Standards Act, they got rid of the 28 period. We now work a 40 hour work week. Now, you can plan your OT on just 5 work days, not 20! They made management adhere to the collective bargaining agreement! They were quick to file grievances and made management adhere to agreements.

On the subject of pay. .

In 2000 we received and 8% across the board pay increase in addition to a 3% retirement benefit buyback. In 2001, 2002 and 2003, we received cost of living adjustments. In 2004 we received a 5% across the board pay increase when everyone else in state government got a one-time $1,000.00 bonus! In 2006 we got a 3.6% cost of living increase.


IUPA sponsored and passed a patrol car insurance bill. It used to be if you hit a deer and totaled your car during off-duty employment, YOU could be held responsible for any monetary damages! Now, it’s covered! I know of a few troopers who “bought the car”! Now they don’t have that to worry about.


Ask yourself this, what unit is my management in favor of me electing? Ours was in favor of PBA even though by law members not in the collective bargaining are not supposed to show any favoritism to any unit. Did FHP management show support for PBA? You bet they did! Did that influence the vote of younger troopers who were not familiar with PBA? You figure it out.

In 2006 PBA challenged IUPA for control of the bargaining unit. In order to get votes they used then Col. Christopher Knight to push for troopers to vote for then in blatant disregard for Florida law. He would use any gathering of troopers in Tallahassee or in the field to “encourage” them to vote for PBA. PBA also promised that if voted in they would push for a separate bargaining unit for FHP. The Colonel and PBA said that if it came through, all our pay problems would be solved since the other agencies would no longer be “dragging us down.” They then promised that after the separate unit was established we would be able to vote on who we wanted to represent us. Well, the units passed and guess what? PBA wrote the bill so THEY would be our bargaining agent for the next three years. So much for us being able to decide. Col. Knight later resigned in disgrace when it was discovered he made up documents during an FDLE investigation in the firing of a trooper.

Keeping PBA would be like sentencing yourself to more of the same. Investigate and learn.

Neil Mariotti
Chairman, IUPA Local 6000 AFL-CIO
Be Informed

Maybe we should forfeit our PBA dues for a month and invite Trooper Mariotti to FT MYERS for an IUPA seminar, lets see we can have it down at the heart of THE RIVER DISTRICT/AMTEL HOTEL grand conference room, we can lodge him their for the weekend, give him some play money to enjoy the RIVER DISTRICTS ENTERTAINMENT AND NIGHTLIFE (club neo,level cigar bar,and finish the night off with a slice at downtown pizza), I really think he would enjoy HIP HOP NIGHT so he can observe how our agency handles the closing of downtown and the behavior of the locals, this would be great..iI think we need to get the wheels rolling on this one :mrgreen: