Letter to the Mayor

Yes, a letter did come down regarding coercing..But another went out advising why...Here is why... Your union letter to the City included Sgt's and below.. They have a voice if you include them. You did not give all officer's a voice when you had your meeting. This will effect their lives here and that is wrong. The reason you did not tell certain officers is due to not wanting negative impact on your union.. If it was and is so good those who you chose not to invite might have joined. Those who you might have chose not to invite may have brought input on why not a union. We are all grown ups doing a grown up job and can make an educated decision regarding the union.. BUT you chose to try and sneak the union in for you own agenda..YOU SAY PEOPLE ARE BEING BULLIED TO NOT JOIN . BUT THE SAME IS GOING ON TO JOIN.
I HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM HERE..JUST COME IN AND DO YOUR JOB..If your mad over broken promises grow up and welcome to the real world the union can't and wont fix that..By the way K-9's would have been brought up at City hall in February but now that's out the door. The union can not make them give us k-9. I HAVE YET TO HEAR A GOOD REASON WHY THE UNION. HERE IS AN IDEA FOR YOU..IF YOU WANT A UNION GOTO TPD. YOU WILL GET A RAISE AND AN UNION.. I FORGOT NO BODY ELSE WILL TAKE YOU DUE TO YOUR RESUME (WHICH IS A NICE WAY OF SAYING IT)

I agree with the letter to the mayor. All of the reasons listed are the main items that people are unhappy with. If these things could be solved without a union then I would be happy with no union, but I don't think thats gonna happen. Do you? At this point I am afraid that even if we could get these promised changes now that things would once again come to a grinding halt. We need good leadership and good representation and we are no longer getting it from the Chief and his staff. If they want a "them vs. us" relationship then the PBA evens things out for us on the low end of the totem pole. I do not believe the PBA will come in and make things perfect but at least we will have more of a say in things and can file grievances.

Do you guys remember the last time the union was being tossed around? It would have probably stuck then, however; the Chief started calling in everyone and asking them what they wanted and how things could be better if he was allowed to get these things for us. Well, now 3-4 years later the only thing that came out of that was the push bumpers. Everything was empty promises.

The cheif and his flunkies need to go.

explain it to me like i'm a third grader, what can the union actually do to help us and make a difference. from everything i've heard they can't make the city do anything, they will only hold everything up. i might be wrong but i don't see the benefit of the union. they can't make the city have a k9 unit or anything else. i hope i'm wrong because we need something

THE UNION WILL HELP YOU AND ALSO HURT YOU..ALL THESE LITTLE MISHAPS AND FOUL UPS PEOPLE DO ..NO LONGER.. GUYS WANTING TO COME IN A LITTTLE LATE CAUSE THEY WORKED A OT DETAIL..NO LONGER...WRECKING CARS AND NOTHING BEING DONE..NO LONGER.. IF YOUR CAR IS DIRTY , FAILED TO HAVE IT SERVICED WHEN IT WAS DUE, NOT CARRYING ALL EQUIPMENT AND FORMS...NO LONGER... I CAN GO ON AND ON ALL THESE WILL COME WITH WRITE UPS..AND ENOUGH WRITE UPS YOUR GONE..UNION OR NO UNION..THE UNION CAN NOT CHANGE THE AT WILL IT IS IN THE CITY FOUNDING CHARTER AND THEY WILL NOT CHANGE IT. EXAMPLE:ASK THE PCPD FIREFIGHTERS ABOUT THE UNION AND WHAT IT HAS DONE FOR THEM..THEY WANTED IT SO BAD...THE REASON CAUSE THEY HAD A CHIEF AND CAPT THAT WERE AGAINST THE TROOPS...THEY ARE NOW GONE BUT IN THE LONG RUN THE FIREFIGHTERS LOST..ASK SOME OF THE ONES WHO HAVE BEEN HERE. I KNOW THE COMPLAINTS I WORK HERE ALSO..BUT ARE YOU READY TO GO YEARS WITH NO RAISE AND POSSIBLY TAKE HOME CARS..IT WILL TAKE YEARS DONT BE FOOLED THEY WILL STALL AND STALL.. I THINK THIS WAS HANDLED WRONG IF IT IS TO FIX THE WRONGS THAT OUR WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT. EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE BEEN TOLD SO WE CAN PUT ALL OUR THOUGHTS TOGETHER . WHAT ARE THE MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE UNION ANYWAY???..WHAT ARE THE TOP THREE THINGS WE WANT TO GO AFTER,???, CAUSE ALL THE LITTLE STUFF WILL HAVE TO WAIT WAY DOWN THE ROAD THE UNION REP WILL TELL YOU THAT.. I HAVE ASKED PRO UNION OFFICERS THIS AND THEY ALL HAVE A DIFFERENT ANSWER WHICH LEADS ME TO THINK THAT EVERYONE IS IN IT FOR HIMSELF AND NOT THE INTEREST OF ALL AS A WHOLE.. LAY DOWN THE GROUND WORK FOR WHAT IS THE THREE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THE UNION REP WILL TELL YOU THAT MUCH.

To those who are for the union,

I understand your point of view and I appreciate your plight. I truly believe we all seek the same thing, which is equal treatment, fairness, follow through on promises and the ability to perform our duties absent the prospect of being eliminated on a whim. Our working environment is not a democracy. It is a statutorily protected dictatorship. The union cannot change that. Even with a union, the Chief and his staff still possess the power to manage the department the way they deem appropriate. We can bargain for our raises, bargain for our benefits, and bargain for our privileges, but we can’t bargain for fairness, equality, and the fulfillment of promises. Those are things that will remain regardless of the union. The majority will still be unhappy. Unfortunately we are the product of what amounts to a “lame duck” administration. These are people who are in the twilight of their careers. They are not concerned with taking actions that will make your life better. They are concerned with enforcing the policy of the Chief and making it to their retirement date. You make their jobs so much easier when you bring in a union. Now, all they have to do is use that one thousand plus page policy manual against you. It is much like a statute book; there is always something to be found to reprimand you for if you anger them. In order to make the police department a truly great place to work, we need progressive leadership. We need someone who walks among his people, praises them for their accomplishments and rewards them for a job well done. A positive attitude on the part of a leader will breed positive attitudes on the part of his people. We need a leader who stands up to the city and speaks out about the unfair insurance premiums, the cost of the retirement, and the fact that we are better than those who pick up trash and plant flowers in the medians. To be compared to professions such as those is, to say the least, insulting. We risk our lives every day, we rush toward gunfire when others run away, and we never sleep soundly because we know the next call out could be seconds away. Those reasons alone are enough to argue that we deserve more. We do not need a union. We need to unite, attend commission meetings and let the people of this community know the state of their police department. We do not need the union to bring political pressure to bear. It can be done because of who we are. People are not willing to sacrifice their safety for a few dollars and they are more than willing to let their representatives know that.

I left PCPD over ten years ago and it appears that nothing has changed there since then other than a 20 and out, better equipment and a new building. The things you guys are complaining about are the same as they were back then. If they haven't changed yet then you guys need to try something new. Like a previous poster said, if a union cannot benefit you guys then why is your administration and the city against it? If you vote in the union your first contract is very simple because you basically ask for nothing. You lock in all of your current benefits, i.e. take home cars. If the city fights you on these items it appears that they are being punitive and it can easily be ruled in your favor through arbitration. You also do a comparitive pay study with similar size agencies around the state and asked for a raise which puts you between the median and high end of those salaries. If the city cries poor then the PBA has the attorneys and accountants on retainer who can see how the city is cooking its books. Ahhha :idea: ! Now you see why the city is against the union. The city does not want all of their finances brought out to light so they will glady give you a reasonable raise. And finally if they start to nit pick and write people up. You now have Union representation in discipline matters. Ahhhha :idea: ! Now you know why the Admin is against it. If there is no documented history of write ups or discipline for trivial matters, i.e. clean car, overdue for service, etc., as someone mentioned then guess what. They are being punitive because you voted in the union and through personnel and I.A. files it can be shown that there is no history pre Union of discipline for these violations. Like others have said it will not be easy but it is neccessary if you guys ever want a voice in the decisions which effect you and your family. Good Luck.

PBA For Life

THE UNION WILL HELP YOU AND ALSO HURT YOU..ALL THESE LITTLE MISHAPS AND FOUL UPS PEOPLE DO ..NO LONGER.. GUYS WANTING TO COME IN A LITTTLE LATE CAUSE THEY WORKED A OT DETAIL..NO LONGER...WRECKING CARS AND NOTHING BEING DONE..NO LONGER.. IF YOUR CAR IS DIRTY , FAILED TO HAVE IT SERVICED WHEN IT WAS DUE, NOT CARRYING ALL EQUIPMENT AND FORMS...NO LONGER... I CAN GO ON AND ON ALL THESE WILL COME WITH WRITE UPS..AND ENOUGH WRITE UPS YOUR GONE..UNION OR NO UNION..THE UNION CAN NOT CHANGE THE AT WILL IT IS IN THE CITY FOUNDING CHARTER AND THEY WILL NOT CHANGE IT. EXAMPLE:ASK THE PCPD FIREFIGHTERS ABOUT THE UNION AND WHAT IT HAS DONE FOR THEM..THEY WANTED IT SO BAD...THE REASON CAUSE THEY HAD A CHIEF AND CAPT THAT WERE AGAINST THE TROOPS...THEY ARE NOW GONE BUT IN THE LONG RUN THE FIREFIGHTERS LOST..ASK SOME OF THE ONES WHO HAVE BEEN HERE. I KNOW THE COMPLAINTS I WORK HERE ALSO..BUT ARE YOU READY TO GO YEARS WITH NO RAISE AND POSSIBLY TAKE HOME CARS..IT WILL TAKE YEARS DONT BE FOOLED THEY WILL STALL AND STALL.. I THINK THIS WAS HANDLED WRONG IF IT IS TO FIX THE WRONGS THAT OUR WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT. EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE BEEN TOLD SO WE CAN PUT ALL OUR THOUGHTS TOGETHER . WHAT ARE THE MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE UNION ANYWAY???..WHAT ARE THE TOP THREE THINGS WE WANT TO GO AFTER,???, CAUSE ALL THE LITTLE STUFF WILL HAVE TO WAIT WAY DOWN THE ROAD THE UNION REP WILL TELL YOU THAT.. I HAVE ASKED PRO UNION OFFICERS THIS AND THEY ALL HAVE A DIFFERENT ANSWER WHICH LEADS ME TO THINK THAT EVERYONE IS IN IT FOR HIMSELF AND NOT THE INTEREST OF ALL AS A WHOLE.. LAY DOWN THE GROUND WORK FOR WHAT IS THE THREE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THE UNION REP WILL TELL YOU THAT MUCH.

Yes, we have talked to the firefighters. I have yet to meet a firefighter who is against the union. Explain to me why the captains are trying so hard to get included in the union? Explain to me why firefighters are saying what they have is due to the union. Unfortuanately I think most people think the union actions are about K-9, raises, or the chief. Let's be honest, the chief has brought this department a long way during his tenure. I personally do not have anything against the chief, and this is not a personal vendetta. Do I neccessarily agree with everything the chief has done? No. This is not personal, this is business. No one disagrees, or has ever stated that the union is simply to take power from the chief and put the officers in charge. That's foolishness. What is this about? This is about having a say in our future. Having a voice in the inner workings of how things can be improved. People who say the city does not have to negotiate, have not done their homework, or just plain do not want the union. I ask this... Please educate yourselves. Will a PBA rep tell you what you want to hear? Of course they will. But you need to realize, the command staff will and has done the same. I am not anti-chief/command staff/supervisors. I am pro-union because I feel we can better our future in ways we can not without a union. I am interested in the benefits for all officers in this department. I am not in it for myself. I am in it for all officers, and their families future. Is that such a bad thing?

The firedepartment has been riding the coat tails of the Police Department for years. The only raises they get is by the Chief getting us raises. They faught to get more and was turned down, but then they agreed to take what we got. Three months late that is. What have they got that we didnt get, nothing. They went two or three years without getting a raise because they could not agree with a magic number. They pay thier dues and get nothing. Have them list what they have gotten since joining the union. Put it next to what we got. It will be the same or lower. Call me out on this. Show me what they have better then us that the union got them and if it is so great, then I'll join.

Guest 3 where have u been for the past year? The EAB at the beginning of the year kept asking everyone what can be done to make things better but no one wanted to say anything or work to make anything better. At that time the Chief was cooperative but no longer. IT IS TOO LATE. I do not think the Chief can satisfy the troops with a K-9 unit and ERT anymore.

What did the Fire Department get? How about the new ALS status and paramedic pay? How about the new equipment? I am sure its still not perfect there but they have made positive changes.

If the PBA does nothing else, it will show that we are a strong group and will give us a voice. Yes, it will probably take a couple years for any major changes but if you plan on working here for the rest of your career (and you are not one of anti-union people already in the DROP - what a joke cause if they don't like they are already retired) then PBA will eventually make a difference.