NCJ Number
56744
Journal
Public Personnel Management Volume: 7 Issue: 5 Dated: (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 1978) Pages: 337-345
Date Published
1978
Length
9 pages
Annotation
THE HISTORY AND STATUS OF POLICE AND FIREFIGHTER LABOR ORGANIZATIONS ARE SURVEYED, AND ISSUES IN PROTECTIVE SERVICE PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT ARE DISCUSSED.
Abstract
COUNTERING A LONG HISTORY OF OPPOSITION TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING FOR POLICE OFFICERS AND FIREFIGHTERS IS A NATIONWIDE TREND TOWARD GRANTING PROTECTIVE SERVICE WORKERS COLLECTIVE-BARGAINING RIGHTS. POLICE AND FIREFIGHTERS, TRADITIONALLY HIGHLY ORGANIZED PROFESSIONAL GROUPS, ARE CHANGING THEIR LONG-ESTABLISHED BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES INTO UNIONS FOR PURPOSES OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING. UNLIKE FIREFIGHTERS, POLICE HAVE NO SINGLE NATIONWIDE UNION. WHEREAS ALL FIREFIGHTERS BELOW A GIVEN RANK IN A DEPARTMENT GENERALLY BELONG TO THE SAME BARGAINING UNIT, THE TREND HAS BEEN TO SEPARATE POLICE OFFICERS INTO BARGAINING UNITS ACCORDING TO RANK. MAJOR MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS IN DEALING WITH PROTECTIVE SERVICE EMPLOYEES HAVE TO DO WITH FINANCING EARLY RETIREMENT PENSIONS, ACCEPTING ARBITRATION AS A MEANS OF RESOLVING BARGAINING IMPASSES, BALANCING THE DEMANDS OF FIREFIGHTERS FOR WAGE PARITY WITH POLICE AGAINST POLICE OPPOSITION TO PARITY, AND RECOGNIZING JOB ACTIONS (WORK SLOWDOWNS AND OTHER ALTERNATIVES TO STRIKES, WHICH ARE ILLEGAL FOR POLICE AND FIREFIGHTERS) WITHOUT DISRUPTING ESSENTIAL SERVICES TO THE PUBLIC. OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO MANAGEMENT FOR MAKING POLICE PROTECTIVE SERVICES LESS COSTLY AND MORE EFFECTIVE INCLUDE COMBINING POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS, CREATING METROPOLITAN POLICE AUTHORITIES, SUBCONTRACTING FOR POLICE AND FIREFIGHTING SERVICES, AND DEMILITARIZING POLICE AND FIREFIGHTING FORCES. THESE OPTIONS HAVE BEEN TESTED WITH VARYING DEGREES OF SUCCESS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, BUT NO TREND HAS EMERGED AS YET. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--LKM)