What a Surprise - Police Union "Handcuffing" the Department
Ah yes, one of my favorite topics - unions. In response to my entry on the declaration of a crime emergency in DC I got this telling comment:
I work for MPD. The reason why Chief Ramsey has to declare a crime emergency in order for the sort of scheduling flexibility you mention is because of the current collective bargaining agreement the cops have. A lot of them got tired of being assigned to Ward 8 as punishment, and / or having their shifts (and thereby their metabolisms) jerked around with little or no warning. You have no idea how the union has handcuffed the department. Just FYI. (My emphasis added)
What a surprise. The Police can't do their job of protecting the citizens of the District because of the union's collective bargaining agreement. Un-freaking-believable. Read that one sentence again and remember we are talking about the people who are charged with protecting and serving the people of the District:
"You have no idea how the union has handcuffed the department."
You know the very basis of the compact between the government and the governed is the understanding that the government will protect the governed from physical harm. Just about the only time I am not pissed about government spending is when it is being spent on things like police on the streets. Well thanks to our DC police's labor union, our government is unable to perform the most basic and critical governmental function. Shame on the union and shame on our pathetic government for allowing this to happen.
posted by ChrisBarronDC at 3:59 PM
1 Comments:
Blaming the union is nothing short of ridiculous. The police union negotiated an agreement that requires the city to pay overtime to its officers when they work overtime (a condition that all private employers in the country must follow), and prevents the department from working them 6 days a week, and forcing them to cancel their family vacations, unless there is a citywide emergency. The union represents men and women who are willing to risk their lives in a job that pays less than most secretaries in my company. You have no understanding of what is going on if you think the union is to blame for the MPD's failures.
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