[Vision2020] Moscow's Police Need Your Support

[John Dickinson]

One problem with many of these debates is that incorrect information is used
and sometimes later becomes the reason for an action or inaction. Idaho is a
right to work state and so a statement such as “The trouble with the SEIU is
that you have to join to be a police officer in the future if we adopt this
program.” is incorrect.

John

 

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From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
On Behalf Of Donovan Arnold
Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2006 2:59 PM
To: nickgier at adelphia.net; vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Moscow's Police Need Your Support

 

Like most people, I am happy with the job our police force is doing. Unions
are great for the people that like them. The trouble with the SEIU is that
you have to join to be a police officer in the future if we adopt this
program. The SEIU engages in political activism that many people may
disagree with. In other words, members fees go to things like supporting
political candidates and political positions that members my not agree with.

I would suggest that we just pay our police officers similar salaries as the
SEIU members get. I don't want the city to only be able to have officers
that are members of the SEIU. We should be able to pick officers  outside
that  organization based on merit, skills, and what is needed for our city.

But I do agree with Nick Gier that we should talk about it. 

Take Care,

_DJA 

nickgier at adelphia.net wrote:

Greetings:

The Moscow police force from sargents down have voted unanimously to be
represented by the Service Employees International Union, the most
progressive and fastest growing union in the U.S. 

There will be an open administrative meeting of the City Council at 4:30
tomorrow in the Council Chambers. I urge interested Visionaries to go and
support your police force with your voice and/or presence.

The staff and some members of the City Council are still resisting
representative democracy in the workplace. One of their concerns is that the
union is too expensive for them. That's rather presumptuous of someone to be
telling someone else how he/she should budget his/her own money. Perhaps our
good officers have reasoned (correctly I believe) the cost of union dues
will come back to them in a professional wage and job security, but most of
all their very dignity as city workers. Just across the border unionized
Pullman police make $9 more per hour.

If the UI had gone to a salary scale based on the federal GS-system back in
1976 and if we had received the same wages that federal employees got during
that time, I would have retired at $50,000 more per year. I would have paid
much more in taxes, I would have given much more to charity, and I would
have spent much more in the local economy. 

I've written more on this issue at
http://users.adelphia.net/~nickgier/police.htm.

Nick Gier, President, Idaho Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO

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