SSO re-Unionization

[safety in numbers]

• The Sarasota Sheriff's Office needs to re-unionize with the understanding that it will take YEARS to build-up a layering of good contracts.
• It won't happen over night.
• It takes contract-after-contract-after-contract.
• It could take 10 years before we start to see REAL and SIGNIFICANT improvements. However, we won't see it in the very first contract (because that's just a starting point).

Take a look around and look at the negativity that has slowly oozed down from upper management. The negativity from senior management is like a disease with no cure -- except for a negotiated contract that forces senior management to do (or not do) certain things.

All the larger agencies are unionized for a reason.

[Unregistered]

Broward County Sheriff's Office changed unions from the PBA to The International Union of Police Associations (IUPA) about 2 years ago. The IUPA main office is located on the corner of Ringling and Orange ave. Here is a link to their brochure. https://iupa.org/wp-content/uploads/...ochure-1-1.pdf

[Suffering Succotash]

The union guys back a few years ago tried to tell you guys that were listening to the likes of Car 1 and a half, Traffic Franks etc that the promise of more money would be just a front to dismantle all the work the PBA did to get the protections that were in place. I remember when the union 1st came in those guys that put their necks on the chopping block to get the union in told us that it would take many many years to get where we needed to be. Those guys committed career suicide in an effort to get our minimal rights at least reduced to writing in the form of a contract. Then we get the likes of a certain few (The petitioner to de-certify the union AK, Now Sgt AK[reward? I think so]; Traffic SF telling us at in-service training to vote to get rid of the union) to send out TK's message that if the members vote out the union they'll get a raise. (Bet you didn't know that the PBA presented a proposal the year before to management that laid out the same raise TK came out with!) The mentality of the select few that pushed the agenda were typical of the me generation; I want instant gratification without working for it. I can tell you that in order for a union effort to work there has to be a different mentality and there has to be support. Members of the agency that are represented by whatever labor organization is chosen have to show up to support the union at meetings, negotiation sessions etc etc. It was told to us by the 1st organizers that you could not compare the strength of the union at SPD to us because SPD has a 30 year head start. Once the union was de-certified there was the proposed PBA pay increase disguised as TK"s pay increase but there were also many losses to include loss of sweat hours for vacation, loss of the automatic Career Board appeal etc. If you guys decide to try again good luck and if it passes you have to support the union and expect it to take a long time to get A) back to where it was when we had the PBA and B) even longer to get more than that.

[Unregistered]

The Deputies who were unionized were brainwashed to think that unions are all bad because they hear about unions and associate them with the liberal democrat BS endorsing giveaways and entitlements.

If they think it through, they will realize that the union can help us all. There is no valid reason that we shouldn't get time and a half after 80 hours instead of 86. Why was my comp time bank all bought out years ago? Why is night shift differential less than 2%? Why is there no evening shift differential at all?

All those questions and many more could be answered by having a union, but members must realize that they're not going to get that instant gratification. We're not going to get everything we ask for on the first try.

Oh, and just FYI, I am not and never was a union guy. I just realize that Together Employees Achieve More.

[Unregistered]

The union guys, back a few years ago, tried to tell the guys who were listening to Car 1 (and a half), Traffic Franks, etc, that the promise of more money was just a front to dismantle all the work the PBA did to get the protections that were in place. I remember when the union 1st came in -- the guys that put their necks on the chopping block to get the union in told us that it would take many years to get contracts where we needed them to be. Those guys committed career suicide to get our rights put into writing in a contract.

Then we got a few to de-certify the union (like AK, Now Sgt AK [reward? I think so]; Traffic SF telling us at in-service training to vote to get rid of the union). They delivered TK's message that if the SSO members vote out the union, then they'll get a raise. However, did you know that the PBA presented a proposal the year before to management that laid out the exact same raise that TK came out with?!

The mentality of the select few that pushed the decertification agenda were typical of the "me generation;" I want instant gratification, without working for it. In order for a union to work, there has to be a different mentality -- and there has to be support. Members of the agency that are represented by whatever labor organization is chosen have to show up to support the union at meetings, negotiation sessions etc etc.

You cannot compare the strength of the SPD union to us because SPD had a 30 year head start. Once the union was de-certified, there was the proposed PBA pay increase that was disguised as TK"s pay increase, but there were also many losses, to include the loss of sweat hours for vacation, loss of the automatic Career Board appeal etc. If you decide to try it again, you have to expect it to take a long time

It took the Broward sheriffs union and the Brevard sheriffs union many years to get fully established. SSO cannot be any different than Broward and Brevard counties.

On behalf of Knight, I was personally asked by one of Knight's six-figure ($$$) political appointees to help decertify the SSO union.

• Political Request: Specifically, he asked me to propose decertifying the union "to the guys." He wanted me to socially "jump start the issue" as a catalyst with everyone.
• Specific Request: He asked me to "talk everyone into voting against it."
• Promised Reward: He said, "it will put a feather in your cap with Knight" and it will put me on Knight's good side. The implied implication was promotional opportunities in the Knight administration.

I did not do it, but others (who were asked by Knight) did so. Now they are promoted. It's a financial gravy train for them because promotions equals a lot more money. You basically have to make a career choice: If you establish and run a union, for the sake and benefit of other employees, then you will never get promoted (at least under Knight). Under the current Knight administration, it is career suicide (and promotional suicide) to propose, discuss or initiate union protections and benefits.

This is the most immoral administration the agency has ever experienced in the 21st Century. A union is needed now more than ever.

[Unregistered]

It took the Broward sheriffs union and the Brevard sheriffs union many years to get fully established. SSO cannot be any different than Broward and Brevard counties.

A union basically puts everything into a "binding contact" that a sheriff must legally obey. A sheriff cannot deviate from contractual terms without consequences being imposed on him. Unfortunately, it takes YEARS to collectively accrue good benefits in a contract. For example, after the SSO union was dissolved, one of the first things that Knight did was to increase pay for patrol (which is good if you're in patrol), but to reduce pay if you're elsewhere (which is bad if you're elsewhere).

If we were to re-unionize, then would Knight honor a contact? That is debatable. As proof, look at the contractual obligations that he is disobeying with Karen Rushing and with the 12th Judicial Court. However, that may come back to bite him.