November 12, 2006
Dear Supporters of
Question A;
The Wicomico County
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #111 would like to thank all the voters
of
We would also like
to express our appreciation to those current and past members and
non-members that assisted with getting this information to the public.
Without this assistance, we could not have reached as many county
voters and achieved the success that we witnessed on Election Day.
- Board of
Officers
Fraternal
Order of Police Lodge 111
Authority Neil Bayne, Treasurer
Collective Bargaining
The time is now.
Over the past several months the citizens of Wicomico County have been
exposed to numerous facts concerning Law Enforcement Officers and the hazards of
their career. The F.O.P. # 111 which represents deputies of the Wicomico County
Sheriff’s Office want you to know how the county retirement and disability
package affects everyone.
Since 1991, the County elected
officials have chosen not to discuss benefits, retirement and salary with
employees. Many deputies were told that there was no retirement available
from1988-1994. There was an
opportunity for deputies to buy back their service time at an astronomical
amount with no contribution by the county during this time period. An extension was requested in writing by employees of the
Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office. The
reply from the county was silence.
Again, a change was made without
employee input which raised the employee contribution even higher with no cost
of living, drop, or improvement in disability for the plan.
Three different Human Resource Directors have given three different
explanations of the retirement program with no definitive answers.
Request by the F.O.P. # 111 have
been met with opposition to this date from the County Council and their legal
council. What is more disturbing is
the Human Resource Department monitors both city and county retirement and
healthcare funds, but unwilling to merge the two retirements for the benefit of
the county employees.
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The Answer
The F.O.P. # 111 is requesting a
charter amendment for collective bargaining with binding arbitration.
We are sure this will be met with criticism as many Government officials
feel the promise of accountability will not parallel their political agenda.
The F.O.P. # 111 would like to
help the residents of Wicomico County understand what the deputies are asking
for from the county: “ Recognition that the retirement package the county
currently has is in need of modification to include Ordinary Disability,
Accidental Disability, Cola increments.”
All which are standards and necessary for any employee and their family.
There is one retirement that most agencies prefer over local savings
plans.
L.E.O.P.S.-The Law Enforcement
Officer’s Pension System includes many local agencies, as well as the
Salisbury Police Department, in this program for improve benefits for their
employees.
Collective
bargaining is about far more than money. I think Governor Glendening said
it best, "If we are to reduce the burden on taxpayers by asking our workers
for greater efficiency and effectiveness, we must involve our employees in the
discussions that affect their work....In doing so, it helps build a relationship
of trust between employees and their managers." The open
communication and trust Governor Glendening speaks of do not currently exist in
Wicomico County. Collective bargaining promotes enhanced morale and basic
levels of self-determination. It will allow me and my fellow co-workers to
participate in employment related discussions and offer insightful feedback on
issues that affect and protect both our working conditions and our futures.
Arbitration is
intended to spur candid, open discussions. It also protects the
citizens from over zealous, unwarranted requests by both elected officials and
police officers. The National Labor Relations Act is quite clear on the
topic of Arbitration. It states that in the absence of strikes and negative work
actions, which are deemed illegal in our proposed Charter Amendment, arbitration
acts as a catalyst to ensure that the council and police officers negotiate in
"good faith." It will create a checks and balance system that
has never existed in Wicomico County before.
Collective bargaining is the true issue at hand. Binding arbitration is merely an internal mechanism of collective bargaining. When we prepared the ads for this campaign, we took a leadership role in educating the public on the issue of collective bargaining. Without collective bargaining, arbitration doesn't even exist. By law we are unable to strike. Also reiterated in the subject matter itself. We combated the their raised taxes platform with emphatic examples of collective bargaining relationships at different governmental levels where there were no tax increases. With strikes and taxes out of the picture, the council opted to grasp at the only remaining straw which was binding arbitration.
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3. Doesn't it remove some of the power from the government, elected
officials and local citizens?
For Wicomico County, it means
letting street level deputy to participate in departmental discussions regarding
efficiency. The type of efficiency which results in never having to raise
taxes to address our collective bargaining concerns. The process itself is
empowering for both the citizens and the deputy. The fact is, monies that
could be used to boost employee benefits are often squandered through short
sighted spending and poorly budgeted capital improvements.
Collective bargaining provides for the type of monetary accountability and
responsibility the taxpayers feel they deserve.
4. Will
Collective Bargaining cause my taxes to increase?
Absolutely
not! Collective Bargaining
can not cause your taxes to go up. Only
our elected officials can increase our taxes.
Collective Bargaining allows for two parties to come together to discuss
issues dealing with pay and benefits. If
an agreement can not be met through negotiations then the matter goes to
arbitration. Once in arbitration, the panel will review each case
thoroughly and then make a decision.
The panel will be comprised of county representative,
deputy representative and neutral representative.
6.
Will deputies Strike if they are not satisfied with the outcome of a
decision?
Deputies at no time will strike!!! We have stated that clearly in the subject matter of the petition. We also swear an oath to the citizens of Wicomico County to uphold the law and to protect the citizens we served. A strike would put the citizens of Wicomico County at jeopardy. We believe in our job in protecting the community and we will never do anything to change that belief. As members of the Fraternal Order of Police we have also taken an oath not to strike.
Support
Collective bargaining
More Information to Come...
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Questions? Contact Us Today!
