Lee County deputies seek new union
Sheriffs’ deputies in Lee County are increasing their effort to generate a Public Employees Relations Commission election to select the International Union of Police Associations, AFL-CIO, as their official bargaining agent.This campaign appears to coincide with a similar effort launched by Sergeants in the Sheriff’s Office earlier this year.
Both campaigns stem from dissatisfaction among both deputies and sergeants with actions taken by the sheriff and the fact that both deputies and their sergeants not having unions must work without a contract that provides procedural protection from arbitrary actions on the part of commanders.
The deputies are in the early stages of collecting signature cards required by PERC to trigger an election while the Sergeants anticipate an election as early as this fall.The current prospect is for the Deputies to file cards in December with an election to follow at PERC’s discretion on the exact date.
Based on earlier actions by the Sheriff, both campaigns will meet with strong resistance. One deputy, active in the organizing their campaign, said that some are reluctant to sign cards out of fear of retaliation. However, he added that the Sheriff’s actions are also an incentive to organize for their own protection.
Earlier this summer, the Sheriff had transferred a fifteen-year veteran with specialized training in economic crimes and head of that division back to night patrol.According to the IUPA’s legal office, the transfer was blatant retaliation. The sheriff’s actions triggered a lawsuit, still pending, by the IUPA calling for the full reinstatement of the Sergeant.
This fall another Sergeant was demoted. After going up the chain of command from Internal Affairs all the way to the Sheriff, the Sergeant finally obtained a Civil Service hearing. In less than three hours, the Board found no policy violations by the Sergeant and fully reinstated him as well as awarding back pay. One Board Member is quoted as saying, “I don’t see why we are even hearing this case.”
These and other actions by the Sheriff have both Deputies and Sergeants convinced that there is a need to establish contractual procedures to ensure fair treatment. The two groups are seeking to establish separate units under the IUPA which is a common practice for IUPA in many jurisdictions around the country.In Florida, as in other states, PERC requires that bargaining units must be separated according to community of interest. This means that Sergeants must have their own bargaining unit and Deputies must have their own. The purpose is to prevent any conflict of interest between officers and their supervisors and to ensure fair treatment for all members regardless of rank.