12 Myths about Unions

[Linebackerll]

And the battle rages on. Most deputies are suspicious of unions and their over-hyped promises. When hired, deputies start out fiercely loyal to the Agency and respect their superior officers. They read the policies and procedures, see their logic, and work hard to comply with those policies and to be "productive" as defined by Command staff. Then, after a year or so, they start noticing the arbitrary treatment of deputies caught up in a problem. They see the sudden transfers and demotions explained only through rumors and gossip. Deputies who are not "made men" of the Command Staff Family are viciously punished for the most minor of unintentional transgressions while serious offenses by the "connected" get wrist slaps. And sometimes promotions!

The new deputy struggles to understand and gets hushed guidance from his Sergeant, "Keep your head down. This is the way it's always been. Don't question things...you don't want to get noticed that way. If you get jammed up on something, they'll do a job on you."

The "connected" will sneer at the new deputy and dismissively declare, You don't like it? Quit. There are ten guys in line waiting to take your job."

And the "Connected" is right. What is a deputy supposed to do? He or she feels unsettled and threatened. The economy is a disaster and there is a family to support. So...the deputy begins to band together with those around him, sharing horror stories and rumors...worrying together. This is when a union has its opportunity. The state of affairs at LCSO has opened the door wide to the union. It is here now and speaking to a receptive audience. All of this could be avoided by an Administration that simply treated people fairly and spoke honestly with its members. But that is not happening.

And the battle rages on. Most deputies are suspicious of unions and their over-hyped promises. When hired, deputies start out fiercely loyal to the Agency and respect their superior officers. They read the policies and procedures, see their logic, and work hard to comply with those policies and to be "productive" as defined by Command staff. Then, after a year or so, they start noticing the arbitrary treatment of deputies caught up in a problem. They see the sudden transfers and demotions explained only through rumors and gossip. Deputies who are not "made men" of the Command Staff Family are viciously punished for the most minor of unintentional transgressions while serious offenses by the "connected" get wrist slaps. And sometimes promotions!

The new deputy struggles to understand and gets hushed guidance from his Sergeant, "Keep your head down. This is the way it's always been. Don't question things...you don't want to get noticed that way. If you get jammed up on something, they'll do a job on you."

The "connected" will sneer at the new deputy and dismissively declare, You don't like it? Quit. There are ten guys in line waiting to take your job."

And the "Connected" is right. What is a deputy supposed to do? He or she feels unsettled and threatened. The economy is a disaster and there is a family to support. So...the deputy begins to band together with those around him, sharing horror stories and rumors...worrying together. This is when a union has its opportunity. The state of affairs at LCSO has opened the door wide to the union. It is here now and speaking to a receptive audience. All of this could be avoided by an Administration that simply treated people fairly and spoke honestly with its members. But that is not happening.

Good post Linebacker and very true. The members or group as they were called that pushed the PBA election met with the sheriff and discussed the problems and issues that were happening in the agency. They even posted them on the PBA Gulfcoast website, anyway, all the issues were brought to the sheriff's direct attention in a list format. Some he knew about and some he didn't. Some he gave excuses on. Yet since December 2009 or January 2010 has the sheriff made any attempt to rectify those issues or problems? No. He has actually made morale worse and the practice of discipline has gotten worse. Letters to those who should be arrested for violating law, the axe or demotions to those for minor policy violations. No level playing field.

So you are right. The sheriff has chosen not to fix the known issues and make the agency an 'equal rights employer.' Our only way to force that hand is to unionize and have a contract. Level out the playing field and put it in writing to hold them accountable. Today anything and everything is at the "discretion of the sheriff." Having a contract that would change. He would not have the power as some state to change things listed in a contract we agreed on. If he did, he is exposing himself and the agency to civil liability. An option we don't have to pursue now. What happens to this agency is out of our control and we have no input. Yet we can change that with a contract through collective bargaining. We did not have these problems 10-16 years ago when we had sheriff's who cared about their people, who knew he had to get us raises and keep our benefits competitive. McD even went to the governor fighting the BoCC several times on the budget to make sure we were taken care of. Unions were not needed then. Times have changed. Which is why we need a union now more than ever. You never know who will be in that sheriffs position in 3 years, maybe a union won't be needed maybe we'll be even more grateful we have one; that person might be worse.