Nij-police Strikes-causes and Prevention

7/29/2019 Nij-police Strikes-causes and Prevention

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ndthepeople

reasonsfor mybeing

asoneofthe bigger

ke.Itwasas muchfor

my fellowofficers.It

me.Ididn'tneeda pay

g paidasmuchasI

ions.IfeltthatI was

yinthepolicedepart-

hatwasn't my

wasn'tpay.I was

ayingmybills.My

ndIthinkmostof the

strike,theirreasonfor

werejust plain

on paperinthe

at'sall.Theyhadn't

teeina yearanda

ultsfrom thator-

cedurestheyhadwas

rievanceandhesays

tsoutofthis, justshut

Andthe overall

yearsandIthinkI can

alificationtheat-

oratleastthis is

inistrationto the

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andPrevention

e,"Keepyourmouth

we'llfireyouand

ve thetaxpayers

herstreetthatthey

idiculousto me.

rike.We wantedto

collectivebargaining

lightwouldhelp us.

ngthatwaspretty

work force;

dthemunicipal

doutrightbehindus.

heeffectwaswewere

thepeopleatcity hall

lemtomeit was

st tooproudtosay

ditwastimeto

ookingaftertheirpeo-

headministrationun-

andthat's whenI

ke.

munity;Isought

unity.Itriedto getus

hardfor thestrike,for

loyeesbroughttheirdis-

onditionstothe attentionofcity

eastofallthe employees

hinayearthedissatisfaction

strikeinthe UnitedStates.Las

cefor apolicestrike.It wasa

,000people,andthe second

exico.Laborstrife wasvirtually

tageoftheprivatesector labor

employeeswerealsoun-

olicebelongedtothe Fraternal

nctionedasasocialorganization.

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asCrucesFirefighters'Associa-

nalAssociationofFirefighters

onasalabororganization.Part

estatenorthecity hadlegisla-

iningbypublicemployees.The

wever,hadruledthatbargaining

civil servicelawsdidnot

otiations.*

policestrike inLasCruces

1975,after Albuquerquepolice

veyedLasCrucesofficersand

ergentfeelingsaboutpolice

ctquicklyfaded.No onepaid

"maybeit'stimepolicegot

ngconditions,andthata

uestrikemightbewhatwas

ialsandthe publictothe

onyearinLasCruces.The

interestingonewith threeseats

csinLas Crucesduringthe

y.Thecityhad acommission-

ththecommissionselectingone

ommissionchairman).In1974,

ntMayorT.J.Grahamfora

le overthechairmanshipen-

loting spreadovertwomeetings

atBlancoforthepost.The bit-

twastolast evenafterthetwo

on.Attentionagainfocusedon

henvotersinthecity'sl owand

vertheissueofcommunity

CommissionerTommy

son'sstrongestsupporteronthe

mmissionerAlbertJohnsonnar-

edareelectionchallengein

onerwhosetermwouldexpirein

eplacedThompson.However,

eekreelection.

nitydevelopment,future

increaseddemandsforservice,

hecommissiondidlittleto

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andPrevention

ssatisfactionwhichbegantosur-

TRIKE

pearedwhentheLas

naskedforrecognitionasthe

fighters.Forseveralmonths,

ccessfullyattemptedtoper-

rievances.Theleadersoftheas-

individualcitycommissioners.

orethecitycommission.

enteredaroundthelackofanef-

incompetenceofsupervisory

department'sfailuretoprofes-

ng.Anareaofsecondaryconcern

ebenefits.Ontwooccasions

ghters'associationrequested

zeitasthe bargainingagentfor

redenied.Thesecondofthe

einNovember1975,atwhich

firefighters'associationthatit

anceestablishingthenecessary

oughthecommission'sactionap-

yadelayingtactic,becausecity

nizingthefirefighters'associa-

ersweredissatisfiedwith

roblems,whichweresimilarto

butwerenot limitedto

onallydevelopthedepartment,

ystemandinequityofdis-

uretogivecreditfora jobwell

cisions,theineffectivenessofa

onpaperonly,ineffectivechan-

edepartmentatboththesuper-

llegedcorruptionwithinthe

cetraining,andahighattri-

werea majorbutsecondary

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onsiderableresentmentofapro-

ent,whichwasinstitutedby

ionfirstsurfacedinthefallof

sdiscussedorganizingtoair

workingconditionsinthe

meoneincitygovernmentto

rucesPoliceDepartment

residentrecommendedthat

erests.Hecontactedthe

tance.Thenationalreplied

etheappropriatecommittee

equest,andthatthelocalFOP

omthe nationaltocometoas-

edout thatthelocalshould

nelsto thepresidentofthe

ectlyto thenationalorganiza-

edisappointedbythereply,but

ireffortstoorganize,they

mployeesAssociation(LCPEA)

ers,andbeganacampaignto

menttotheattentionofthe

bureautodiscuss police-

tionalandpoliticalgroups.The

specialcommitteestostudythe

anandlegislation.Membership

departmentemployees,notjust

antwoweeks,theassociation

sinthedepartmenthadjoined.

anized,RobertGordon,the

tionalConferenceofPoliceAs-

querquedetectivewhowasan

dtospeakatan LCPEAmeeting.

rcesICPAhadtooffer,as well

ed toobtainbetterworking

fringebenefits.Theyalsodis-

Albuquerque,andindicatedthat

erthemeeting,theLCPEA

ewithICPA.Themembersfelt

uesbetterthan outsidersdid

hecityina professionalman-

henext fewweeks,membersof

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andPrevention

dtheirgoalofinformingthe

policedepartment.Theleaders

A.F."Tony"Gomezonseveral

hand,and thechiefindicated

msto theattentionofcityof-

andnothinghadhappened,

AlstineandVicePresident

p,obtainedanappointmentto

cembertodiscusstheproblems

r,HaroldYungmeyer,did

ie leftthemeetingfeelingthat

eriouslyconsideringtheir

redbyYungmeyer'sattitude

edirritatedattheirpresence

Heindicatedthatit wasun-

iththeLCPEAandtoldthem

ingswere runinLasCruces,

ussionfocusedonmoney.At

itybudgetonhis deskandsaid

dthe citycouldnotaffordmore

uledfor1976.Fromthe

fortunateaspectofthe

iluretorealizethat pertinent

atherthansalaries.VanAlstine

othis misunderstandingby

writtenlist ofgrievancesandby

omworkingconditionsto

perativestancespread

artment.Theassociation

g torespondtoits grievances

quiredtomakethe city

ngmeyer'sfailuretoperceivethe

cialsas awhole.Withfewex-

heseriousconditionsthat ex-

even believed,forthemost

Yungmeyer,theLCPEA

edaffiliationwithICPAinorder

hthe city.Byaunanimous

tewithICPA.Atthesame

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nametotheLas CrucesPolice

complywiththeICPArequire-

nofficers.Thecivilianpolice

ittedtoremainintheLCPOA.

ouncedthattheICPA

tainingrecognitionfromthe

artment'sbargainingagent.He

toresolvetheissues"in an

"9Buthealsoemphasizedthat

fidenceinthecitygovernment

partmentcomplaintsortosit

urbacksagainstthewall,"he

swon'tlistentous,wedon't

all thewaydownthelinetrying

tary-TreasurerRobert

anagerandcitycommissioners

emeetwith thecommissionto

andrecognitionoftheLCPOAas

mbers.Thelettersaddressedto

tothecitymanagerto be

missioners.Someofthecommis-

dtheletters.Yungmeyer'sreply

eissueswouldbeplacedon the

meeting.BetweenJanuary13,

r,and February2,1976,when

erenodiscussions,meetings,or

Aandcityofficials.Thecity

iscussrecognitionatthe

neThaelerdidnotevenknow

sionmeeting,thesmall

ver200policeofficers,their

smedia.Astimepassedand

omeonefromtheaudiencestood

whytheywerethere,andthat

ssue athand,namelyrecogni-

ionthenturnedtorecognition.

whoadvisedthe commis-

themeetingforthepurposeof

oducedRobertGordon,whoex-

variousaspectsofcollective

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andPrevention

yorMunsonrespondedbysaying

mmissionhadbeenapproached

nformallyconcerningrecogni-

fficersthenaddressedthecity

iaterecognitionoftheLCPOA.

Erdietoldthecommissionthat

thecitymanager,but"quite

pe.Moneyisabigissue, butitis

mmunity.Wearenotgoing to

eedhelpandwefeel recognition

rtheless,theissueofsalarywas

tof themeeting.Thecommis-

asingrevenueandits limited

iceand theirsupporters

e.12Noonediscussedworking

nt.Thediscussionaboutsal-

onersfeelingoffendedandintimi-

mmissionvotedunanimously

heproceduresforrecognition.

ecognitionoftheLCPOA.

nsionand emotionhad

policeandtheir supporters.

ipitatedbytheattitudeofthe

rthroughouttheproceeding.To

medtotallydisinterestedand

rnedhischairaroundand

atthe commissionreallyin-

nancebecausethefirefighters

mitmentafewmonthsearlier

ognition.Moreover,thecity

hathehad threemodel

butwastoldbythe citymanager

was alsoexacerbatedbysome

ndtheir supporters.Oneofficer,

anycallsforpolice assistance

onclusionofthemeeting,Mayor

expert.You havedonea

havesucceededinpolarizing

haveapoliceforcetomorrow

edthe policeoutofthecom-

ded,themembersofthe

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andsupporterswenttothe

e.Emotionswerestillveryhigh;

waythey hadbeentreatedby

iscussioncenteredarounda

ssuchasa sick-in,slowdown

ed,themembersbelievedthat

andthatonly astrikewould

iation.Theassociation'sat-

atutes inNewMexicogovern-

berswerenevertold thatthey

umedthata strikewasnotil-

etingfeltthatalthoughGordon

heclearlyimpliedthatastrike

tion.Forexample,heneverad-

and,at onepoint,hepredicted

administrationtodealwiththe

wasnoquestionin anyone's

iontodraftan ordinancewas

ticthathadbeenusedsuccess-

onto strikewasmadeand

owed.Afewmembersab-

o strike.

KE

rsofthepress,whohad

sociationmeeting,werecalled

uldbeginatmidnight.Thedis-

ascalledandtoldtherewas a

twouldnot reportforduty.

edofthe strike,theyreturned

ob.Someofthem,however,of-

enumberofsupervisoryperson-

bilities.

ndtheir wivesspentthe

Plodge.Almostimmediately

organize,withGordonadvis-

acefulstrike.Hewarnedthem,

aponsordrinkingalcoholic

es.Committeeswereformed;

ulesestablished.TheFOP

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andPrevention

quarters.Thebartherewould

ere withdrawneachday.

taketurns workinginthe

newasfedin shifts.Eachday

ngs,onein themorningandone

esday,February3),69of

wereonstrike,including51of-

s.14Allsupervisorypersonnelex-

y,becausethechiefhad

whostruck.Onlyfour

ejob.Workinghoursofnon-

rshifts,andthe statepoliceand

dthattheirhelpmightbe re-

greedtoprovideanynecessary

erswereonstrike,andnoone

icationscenter,thedepart-

rfromthesheriffsdepartment.

POAwaspreparedfora

"Wearegoing tostayoutas

ecognitionbutalso tonegotiate

hatourjobscan beterminated.

notabouttoturnback.We

rt."15

rtmentwhenallfirefighters

.m.Tuesdaycalledinsick.As a

stationswereclosed.At11a.m.

ndthosepresentvotedun-

rs,including3lieutenantsfrom

ffthejob.Threefirestations

17personnel,12 ofwhomwere

fireacademy.Thefirefighters

forthepolice;their actionwas

olicestrike,althoughthetwo

sattheFOPlodge,and agreed

dentlyoftheother.The

mezstatedthattheywenton

benefit fromittoo,andthey

edtheirs.. .there'sbeenenough

lines infrontofthe police

ilding.Inorderto keepthe

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iationestablishedfirmrules

icketingandagainstblocking

inued,cityyouthsdrovetocity

dtrafficlawsbeforetheindif-

ketlineswas high.Strikerswere

eyexplainedto reportersthe

heirfamiliesontheir low

hecitycommission'splanto

er'scompensationfrom$10per

eadvocatedprimarilybyCom-

ise. Neitherthecity

believedthatastrikewaslikely.

lsincludingChiefGomez,City

unson,andatleastonecommis-

usproblemsexistedin the

hatthe dissatisfactionwasof

matelyleadto astrike.

rdidnotfeel"particularly

estrike,"and decidedto"wait

indicatedthatcityofficialshad

meetingofthecommissionto

owever,askthecitizens"totake

andactivitiesinthehomethat

atimewhenweall havetopitch

otheralittle."20

the strikewastoissuea

ouncingthatthedepartment's

yenforced.21Asecondmemo,

ndfire personnel,warnedthat

thoutauthorizationwouldbe

leave-without-paystatus,and

encefromdutywouldsubject

.

s,thecity madenoat-

strike.Instead,cityofficials

hadbeenabsentwithoutleave

htimethecitycould

rsuanttocitypersonnelpolicy.

hatthefailuretoendthestrike

nswouldprovideaconvenient

rofpoliceofficers,weedoutthe

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andPrevention

akers,andusethefinancialsav-

erandmoreprofessionalof-

to initiatenegotiationsorany

ailed torespondtoanyof the

ey"kindoflowered"their

recognizetheunionsandes-

ks.Previouslytheyhadbeen

act.Van Alstinestatedthat

ettalksunderway,thecommis-

"businessas usual."

A'srequestthatafederal

the dispute.Anofficialwith

liationServiceinAlbuquerque

sistancewererequested,butthe

ionbecauseitbelieveditwould

heLCPOA.The mayoran-

whohadbeencontactedby

etingwasnecessaryatthistime

diationproposal,butthatthe

"thepossibilityofusingalocal

dthecommission'ssuggestion

skedto mediate.VanAlstine

unprofessionalpeoplewouldnot

nsomeoutsideprofessionalhelp,

rtGordon'spresencemight

ty andthestrikers.To-critics,

"Thecommissionersdescribed

doffbyhis presentationat

ing,andbelievedthathehad in-

issionerJamesTayiorcalled

missionerMarianneThaeler

ir....Idon'tthinkit wasthe

artmenttotakeatthistime.I'm

couldcomein anddisruptthis

ordona "sharpguy"andadded

eir heads.Thiswholefieldof

seguyshaven'tgot muchex-

asharpguyandhe stampeded

thesituationto "adirtybook

itcausesa waveofimmediate

nybridges.Ithink wehavea

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y'regood,andtheyknowthey're

paythem.Ionlywishwe could

othercommissionersuggested

sionerswhowerepreparedto

doffbyGordon'spresentation

spotwithjustabout

missioners'attitudestowards

mselffromthestrikeif thecom-

thestrikingpolice,butthecity

owardsGordonweremore

al reactiontoanoutsider.

ommissionersandtopad-

waspartofa concertedeffortby

publicemployeesinNewMex-

ththatofanational officialfrom

ucesto assistthestriking

f.

ymanagerinstructedthe

omaticallyterminateforcause

consecutivedaysofun-

receivedanoticetothiseffect

ystrikerwhowasfiredpursuant

lyforreemploymentasanew

ecitywouldnot bevindictive

butthattheremightbesome

hestrikewasfivedaysold,

alface-to-facediscussions

yofficials.Commissioner

mmissiontomeetonSaturdayto

enhearrivedat CityHallhe

dandthat themeetinghadnot

nlyothercommissionertoshow

eetingwascancelled.The

ers,whohadbeenpolledFriday

nunableto gettogetherand

6

abriefsupportrallyfor the

cipalbuilding,attendedby

dfirefightersleda marchto

emayormetwiththem.Once

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andPrevention

onvenethecitycommissionand

ement.Themayortold them

dthat thecommissionwould

ofrecognitionaslongas they

eadersandcitycommis-

ebruary8)at alocalrestaurant.

onersattendedonbehalfofthe

associationsrepresentedthe

cialbecausethecityattorney

hatthestate'sopenmeetinglaw

ofthree ormorecommissioners

.26Thenextmorning(February

erencetoexplainwhathadtran-

nsonsaidhe hadofferedtopoll

nd"acknowledgementthatthe

andhaveaffiliatedwith

ikerswouldagreetoreturn to

prisals"promiseanda commis-

mediatelytoworkonanor-

mechanismforrecognitionand

me,protectingtherightsof all

eratedthelikelihoodthatthe

eofthepolicedepartmentdur-

dthat the"noreprisals"seg-

ainopenpastthatmorning,Van

ctedthisproposal becausethe

daylimitonenactingtheor-

hetwoassociations."Sayingwe

sabargainingagent... .We

part ofthecommissionersto

blic."27CommissionerBlanco

calledit"doubletalk.""We

hattheCommissionwasbeing

heexistenceofaunion,andI

esaidhesaw noalternativeto

citycarriedoutitsthreat

andfirefighterson Monday,

ationproceduresforabsence

ectorsentthestrikerslettersin-

ndgivingthem untilFebruary

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ficationcards,badges,keysand

ommissionerBlancocriticized

commissionersandstrikers

npersonandthatthe city

toterminatethe strikers."If

on,"heasked,"whygothrough

orappearedbeforethe

ainhisviewofthe strikeand

thecommission'sstandand

ze.HecomparedtheICPA

asalesman,"Rightnow,youfeel

utwillyoucontinuetofeelgood

thefutureorthelast sloshofthe

h theaggressivepresentation

tthecommissionmeeting,

hioned1930'sstylemanage-

;but Idon'twantto bethere."

m.It's probablyyourultimate

e."31Thestrikerslistenedsilent-

suadedbyhisarguments.

iedonTuesday(February

lue-collaremployeesstruckafter

for unionrecognition.Dueto

utineutilityserviceswere

walkout,theblue-collar

ntaction,notcoordinatedwith

nalwalkout,justover halfof

wasonstrike.In responsetothe

hatallstrikingblue-collar

eydidnot returntoworkby

ollaremployeeshadorganized

trike.Thatstrikewasbarely

odofRailroadand Airline

ionofState,Countyand

E)beganeffortstoorganizeall

heitherthepoliceor firefighters'

jorityoftheemployeeshad

mandedrecognition.

ertisetodealeffectively

commissionsoughtpro-

Albuquerquelawfirmof

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hichspecializedinlaborlaw.

orgeCherpelisadvisedthecom-

dledthestrike wouldhavelong-

toldthem "Theultimatesolu-

yinthe legalaspects,butinthe

berunningthis cityalong

nall stirreduparenotgoing to

dealwithhowtoput thiscity

gtomakeita decentplaceto

wasin a"no-man'sland"

on collectivebargaining.

re norules,"hesaid.33

y'spersonnelpracticeswas

personnelordinanceasvery

ything,"andcalledthecity

sity.""Communication,"hetold

orupanddown,notjust down,

sors.Grievances,realor

erone canprecipitate

rt replacingitsfiredpersonnel,

yresorttoviolence,butI could

makinganyheadwaydeal-

Gomez,thepresident ofthe

hedirectorofafederaljobs

thedispute.MayorMunson

mtrytoworkout asettlement.

dworkedouta proposedsettle-

hmentofa "mutual

velopanordinancecoveringall

ntandincludeprovisionsfor

ancewastobeenactedwithin90

twouldbecomposedofthree

iveofeachofthestrikingunions,

e,andone outsiderepresen-

AmericanArbitrationAssocia-

wouldreturn totheirjobs,

hercityemployeesorthe com-

rmit thestrikerstoreturnat

withoutany reprisals.The

issiontorecognizetheexisting

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lacecollectivebargainingin

passed.34

(February12),the com-

tlement.Thedebaterevealed

onwasopposedtothesettlement

to trytoobtainmore

eyinstructedCherpelisto

ntativesandreturntothecom-

aturday(February14).Thecom-

dtothereport onSaturday

rnegotiations,thecommission

pportedbyCommissioners

aeler,whichwould"deny

thatmaycomeforthascollective

ancecouldbedrafted.

swiththecitythe nextday

ecitydemandedthatanyset-

policesergeantand threefire

alkout.Thecommission,city

tedondowngradinginrank all

k,becausetheywereconcerned

therproblemsbetweensuper-

dthosewhowouldbereinstated

eyto thedisputewaswhetheror

re lieutenantswerepartofthe

pectivedepartments.Theas-

eywerenot,whilethecity

ttheir reinstatementwould

ncyandmoraleintheirrespec-

boutthefutureof the

eduledfor7p.m.Saturday,

beadecisivepoint inthestrike.

ttlementwerereachedby

ndontheoutcomeofthe

whichthreepositionsonthe

CPOAannouncedtheformation

osearchoutandelectpro-

aynightlasted15minutes.

eactivitiesandreturn thecity

onand replacingallstrikers.A

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yorandunanimouslyendorsed

n11-pointplanfordealingwith

esponsible"strikeandrestoring

oftheplanwere:

ondemandsofthe three

ingacollective

ewallcitywageand

llpresentmanning

dreducingor

wpriorityjobsandser-

rsonnelreductions

existingwageand

itsasquicklyasthese

singtofillvacancies

gemployeeswho

ew employees"but

gparticipatedin

pervisorswhowere

theirformersuper-

ginTuesday,

reviewtheexisting

manualandsubmit

moreresponsiveto

moreeasilyad-

ularattentionto

nicationsbetween

dasimpler,moreef-

cialcounselweretocom-

ylegalactionsto

cludinginjunctions,

ilablerelief.

an,the commissionsaidit

oanyproposalsbystrikers or

rectedtowardaresolutionof

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Alstineaddressedapacked

ted amassbadgeturn-in."We

mmissionthinksofus,"he said,

ytable.About45 strikingpolice

myGomezandsomeof hisfel-

requestedthatformerpolice

to acceptthebadges,buthe

ctedbyChiefGomezwho had

eting.

tsthirdweek(February14),

vitiesbyfilingforan injunction

kingdamagesfromthestrikers,

esandotherindividualstocity

eadersfromstrikingoren-

complaint,thecityalleged

had"createdanemergencyof

hat aninjunctionwasre-

tionbeganon Tuesday

toThursday(February19)to

nesses.Intheinterim,the LC-

auseitwasdissatisfiedwith

hemwithalocalattorneywho

.

oximately40personswere

dnot todiscussthecase.The

whotestifiedthatthe city's

eandfireserviceshadbeen

However,undercross-

atpolicepatrolswereon the

eingprovidedbya "skeleton

toshowthatMunsondid not

hatseveralpersonsnamedin

olvedinanyillegal strikeac-

tionedcloselyregardingthefac-

determiningthatthestrikehad

ssedbydefenseattorneysabout

vemoneybecausethestrikers'

saidheanticipatedtheremight

dstofthe mayor'stestimony,

ondaybecausethemayorhada

scheduledtoofficiateat a

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nionleaderscontinuedto

ectcontactwithcityofficials.

ssion,thestrikerssaidthey

hthecommissionand/orits

edispute,but thecommission

Thestrikersevenattemptedto

ingthestrike.Theysenthima

uintheinterest ofpublicsafety

withus incallingina federal

an outsidearbitrator."The

yingthatthematterwasa local

llyandthat interventioninthis

ormetointervenein every

verycommunity."40

ofill themorethan200

ikersbeganonFebruary17,

erthreedays,only 6employees,

rkershad beenhired.Vacan-

oardsand advertisedinthe

neldirectoranticipatedthatat

ding,itcouldtakeabout60days

fullstrengthinall departments.

hiringrefusecollectors,meter

cedispatchers.

hestrikehadlastedalmost

officers,includingthepresident

ndreturnedtowork.Testimony

resumed.Duringabreakinthe

andtheunionleadersworked

ke,underwhichthestrikersgave

dingrecognition.Theproposalin-

erimgrievancecommitteeto

onwasinstalledMarch15,anda

nual.Strikingsupervisorswere

o 90daysatthepleasureof the

regardingfuturecommission

oursafter theproposedsettle-

ity'sattorneyscontactedas-

he commissionershadre-

esettlementisnotclear.At

eattorneyfor theLCPOA

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dthen backedoutof,anoffer

cepted.Hesaidthatthe as-

hat theofferhadoriginated

thecity repliedthattheyhad

onsthattheywouldtry tosell

mmission,butthattherewere

ouldacceptit.MayorMunson

offer.Someofthoseinvolved

tthelabor attorneyshadex-

heoffer.Othersclaimedthat

r,butthat afterthestrikersac-

fusedtosupportit,because

advantageintheupcoming

ndingthe strike.Accordingto

commissionersrejectedthe

tasacapitulationandsawno

hestrikers.

rstrikingpoliceofficer

s,aswell asthreestriking

k,wererequiredtogo through

butwerereinstatedto positions

itionsin thedepartment.

ry25)MayorMunsonan-

tthestrikewas overandthat

ored.Theannouncementledto

eofwordswithstrikeleaders.

tingwascontinuingoutside

atthecity consideredthe

edthatasfar astheunionswere

mover.Ina preparedstatement,

rcentpersonnelcutbackinthe

ductionsinthesanitation,

ments,andarealignmentofthe

department.Heclaimedthat

ythelegislature'sdefeatofa

dthecommission'sdesiretoin-

Thecitymanageragreedthat

weretheonlywaythecitycould

ciallimitsanticipatedforthe

of thestategrantandrevenue

sforthe city'sfinancial

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ionerstothemayor's

sioners,AlbertJohnsonand

upporttheannouncement.

ightbethatit wasn'tissueda

It'sgoodandit's true,and

meof thenumbers,Idon't

dark.""Incontrast,Commis-

oliticalmaneuver,andin very

m.Ididn'tknowanythingabout

settlementofferhadbeenre-

thathe pollsthecommission,

heverybodypresentisverymis-

nerJamesTaylornotedthathe

iceofthemayor'sannounce-

narrangementwithnocut-

roclaimedthatthestrike

uestfor aninjunction,because

ldberestoreddespitethe

magesuitagainstthestrikers

heLCPOAwithdrewhisre-

gthecity fromhiringreplace-

Healsowithdrewhisearlier re-

neThaelerbeheldincontempt

esin alettertothe editorwhich

aper.Hehad chargedthather

ionsthatall personswhowere

cuss thecasewhileitwas

ekaway,boththeassociation

eacha settlement.An-

bringaboutan endtothe

ary29 establishedaspecial

pervisorstodeterminewhichof

expectedthatallstrikers

ndthereforeformedtheboardin

cess.He indicatedthathe

nastowhoshouldbe

onsistedofall16policesuper-

ByMarch2 ithadrejected28

5Theboardconsideredeach

wassupposedtobejudgedon

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dnotonstrikeactivities.Thereis

somecasespersonalitiesand

ajorfactorsin theboard'sdeci-

dbymajorityvotewhetherto

nsiderationgiveneachcase

eneralfeelingonthe board

ght haveadisruptiveinfluence

lt,someofthestrikeleaders

AlthoughChiefGomezadmitted

oftheboard members,he

nantconsideration."Thestrike

Ihopeit'snot theoverriding

ctiontoresolvethe strike,

utsdominatedthecampaign.

ognitionandcollectivebargain-

ues.Oncethestrikerswereter-

ameanotherhotlycontestedis-

ommissionwereat stake,only

hnson,wereseekingreelection.

chosennottorun.Ofthe 12

supportoftheunions,and

son,openlyopposedcollective

dtwocandidates,BenRomero,

n,andOscarRios,whowasseek-

ylor.Onlyafewstrikers,

intelephone,leaflet,anddoor-

ganizedontheirbehalf.Manyof

ngthelongstrikeor werebusy

onday(March2,1976)set

activepublicconcernabout

mewasnot clearlyprounionor

bersofthenew commission

rters.Bothcandidatesendorsed

yonecandidatewhohadsup-

cumbentAlbertJohnsonwon

rmby 227votesoverunion-

MayorT.J.Graham,whostrong-

,beatunioncandidateOscar

thousandmorevotesthanany

dinLasCruces.49Prounion

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ectedbya599votemarginover

otesover MayorMunsonwho

ghHudsonhadvoicedsupportfor

endorsementbecausehe

suncertainaboutwhatac-

rshadhopedthatthemembers

vesomeindicationoftheir posi-

lievedthatthe commissioners

tterprior totheirfirstofficial

herofficiallyorunofficially,

edissues.Thenewcommission,

ditwassoonclear thatitwould

ngtheLCPOAormeetingits

nstatementofallthestrikers.

nouncementbyeithertheas-

on,everyoneknewthatthe

ftLasCrucesthe dayafterthe

essofthesituation.Twodays

esuspendedandstrikersbegan

eemployment.

RIKE

mptionofafullworkforce,

xpressedtheiri ntentiontoput

deavorto avoidharassment

residentRickErdiesaidthe

citypolicymakingandtryto

ndbenefitsforall city

ost,"hesaid."Someofour

d.Andwedidnot gainunion

mainissues.Butwe believed

o.Thecityisintheprocessof

ure.Andthereistalkof pay

r."51

ndErdiebrought city

otheFOPlodgeanddistributed

e them.Theywerenotaware

eadydeterminedwhowould

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52officerswhostruck,47ap-

nofthe17civilianstrikerswho

mentalsoapplied.

deadlineforfilingapplica-

hestrike,the citysentletters

hohadappliedfor reemploy-

erenotbeingrehired.62All the

ant-at-armswererejected.The

heywerenotrehiredbecause

uencedtheBoardofSuper-

heiractiverolein theassocia-

e.Theyalsoclaimedthattheir

nthoseofmanyof theofficers

wasaggravatedbythefactthat

iciallythathewouldbe willing

ubliclythat hewaswillingto

rmeremployee.Cityhiringcon-

March22,therewerestill 10

nt,andout-of-townapplicants

itions.63

egalactionswereinstituted

recedent-settingcaseinNew

ywereentitledtounemploy-

ountyandstategovernment

mploymentinsurancesince

rstcaseheardunderthisnew

aws.Whilethecityhadno

e,it didparticipateinthe

mentSecurityCommission.The

kewasnotalawful act,andthat

iedfrombenefitsforafour-week

ctionbroughtinMarchby

compelthecity tocomplywith

onnelordinance.Indisputewas

eprocedure,anda"consultand

missedamonthlaterwhen the

tionsofthepersonnelordinance

ngagrievanceprocedure.The

alsodroppedinthe spring,when

ouldnotbe abletoprove

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andPrevention

loyees,includingVan

gainstthecity,thecity

personneldirector,contending

oblacklistthemfromemploy-

tionsuit,improperlyrefused

nionactivitiesandviolatedtheir

ormeremployeessoughttobe

ights andbenefits.Inaddition

eindamages.In theiransweron

wrongdoingandcountersued

00allegingmaliciousprosecution,

smissed.Thesuitfinallyter-

ejudgegranted thecityof-

ment,andduetolackof funds,

appealthe decision.

OAceasedasanactive

son paper,itisno longerfunc-

eviveit.Althoughmostof the

hiredbythepolicedepartment,

easedbythepolicedepart-

he crimeratewasapparently

however,chargedthatcrime

efigures werebeingconcealed

dbythepolicedepartmentfor

jorcrimestookplace,compared

282 inJanuary1976.Any

rtinentcategorieswasslight.

enforcementproblemduring

elimitedon-dutyforcetofollow

respondingtoacallfor service

withthestrikeagreethat

positivedevelopments

lyinthe areaoffringebenefits.

ptedanewhospitalizationplan

earlythesamecostas theold

dits matchingcontributionto

requestedby thestrikers.

andwaslaterrehired had

estep.However,inMarch,short-

receiveda5 percentpay

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oyedstrikersbackattheir

1976,city employeesreceived

whichgavethestrikersa 10per-

andnonstrikersa 15percentin-

descriptionoftheeventsfol-

actofthe strikeiscontinuing.

oodwhatcausedthestrike.

tsideunionofficials.Others

nlyafewrealizedthe extentof

workingconditions,andtheir

ytolisten tothem.Despite

ngconditionsofLasCruces

nalconditionswhichprompted

ndledto thestrikestillexist.

ackofcommunicationbetween

anagementpersonnel,that

ersonneldecisionmakingand

obwelldone.Theseattitudes

ensupervisorsandsubordinates

vesurfacedbetweenthosewho

nthejob. Uneasiness,frustra-

ofthe strike,arestillevident

ndicationsarethattheywillre-

spoliceofficerwhowasfired

e1976LasCrucespolicestrike.

405P.2d233(N.M.1965).In a

neralalsosaid thattherewasan

amunicipalitytoenterinto acollective

oyees,butthatamunicipalitywas

ysuchagreementonmatterscoveredby

nce.AttorneyGeneral'sOpinionNo.

ralreiteratedthat municipalemployees

andaddedthatcitieshavethe

n employeerequeststhedeductions

pinionNo.71-96.

rikeonJuly 12,1975.The

e unionvotedtoacceptan8 percent

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benefits.Allofthe officerswhostruck

ntswhojoinedthewalkoutwereplaced

herankofpatrolman.

1975.

cerstousethedepartmentasa

to betterpayingjobswithotherlaw

aimedthatduringthepastfew years,

officerstohigherpayingjobs.

ndlargestcity inthestate,it

citiesinstartingpayfor police.Forex-

tedat$535per month,whilemonthly

650;inTruthor Consequences$580;in

$736;andCarlsbad$643.Dissatisfaction

aroundwhatemployeesthoughtwere

etirementplans.

ofPoliceAssociations,founded

county,andstatepoliceassociations

220,000policeofficers.Thepurposeof

ingconditions,retirementsystemsand

mentofficers,andpromotetheprofes-

e.Inaddition,ICPAassistsmembers

gislationaffectinglawenforcement

ollectivebargaining.

sprovidedby VanAlstine.

fitssubstance.

2,1976.

3, 1976.

he generalfundwerereported

etanticipatedrevenuesof$5,080,892.

sbecausetaxrates,whichweresetby

yattheir maximumlevel.LasCruces

reover,allcitybudgetingwasbeing

revenuesharingwouldendin1976.

y5, 1976.

epartmenthad79sworn and30

ry3,1976.

76.

lectionday,thecommissionun-

payincrease.

76.

ry3,1976.

76.

ovidedinpart: "Anyemployee

hreeconsecutiveworkdays,shall

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ensedphysicianattestingto theemploy-

malduties,orstatinglimitationstoperfor-

loyeeswhoutilizesick leaveforpurposes

bjecttodisciplinaryaction."

,1976.

ebruary5,1976.

,1976.

ebruary8,1976.

3to5-6-26.

0,1976.

Thaelersaidsheturneddownanin-

sbecause"I wouldnotexposemyselfto

0,1976.

uary14,1976.

0,1976.

ebruary13,1976.

ebruary15,1976.

ebruary20,1976.

0,1976.

ebruary18,1976.

ebruary26,1976.

6,1976.

who hadbeenfiredwasnot onthe

riker.He hadresignedfromthe

March17,1976.

thecity'sregisteredvoterspar-

otesandRomero3,801.

otesandRios3,896.

otes,DennisStevens2,780,and

March7,1976.

0officersand 8supportpersonnel;

ereaccepted.Ninestrikersdidnot applyfor

ecity'sjoboffer,and3 werestillundercon-

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andPrevention

22,1976.

hohadnotbeenrehired fileda

courtandsubsequentlyappealed.The

edtofile theirappellatebriefontime.

obberies(althoughstriking

1 strong-armedrobbery,4aggravated

sidentialburglaries.Onecaseofarson

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n,Ohio,policeand

secondtimeinlessthan10

oninYoungstown.Sincethelate

eenoneofthenation'smajor

teelworkerstherebeganorganiz-

s,andtheirattemptswereoften

nce.Althoughtheviolence

aborstrife continuedtobe

gstown.From1972through

1strikesinvolving58,700workers

e.Inthe late1960sand

encedstrikesbyseveralpublic

ce,firefighters,nursesand

wellorganized,despitethefact

bargaininglaw.However,a

nizedtheright ofpublic

y.2Therewereeightpublic

n.Policewererepresentedbythe

Lodge28,towhichmost

udingthechief,belonged.The

iation(InternationalAssociation

)wasthebargainingagentfor

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andPrevention

TRIKE

policeandfirefightersoc-

ughitwasnot calledastrike,

andfirefightersstayedoff the

ssionalseminars."Thewalkout

tsto obtainwageandbenefit

outpoorworkingconditions.

efighters,whohad joined

orces,hadtriedunsuccessfully

andfringebenefits.Theywere

ringtheirwagesin linewiththe

3aswell asbenefitssuchas

e-and-ahalfforovertime.City

eor increasedbenefits,claiming

ilethesafetyforcesagreedthat

ainedthatthe cityhadar

stogetthe citytoimprove

hencityofficialsignoredalist of

rceshadpresentedinJanuary

cernedmethodsoftransfer,poor

elackofagrievanceprocedure.

1967,theexecutiveboard

ssalternativecoursesofaction.

dtostayoff thejobandhold

minarsbeginningSeptember

nalseminarsin lieuofastrike in

ergusonAct,4whichprohibits

ndauthorizestheirtermination

etingofthesafetyforcesthat

ed125to53 tobeginthe

waitinguntilthe12th.The

rsbegan.Theseminarsin-

asthe useoffirearms,

courtprocedure.Outsidelec-

arrayofpertinenttopics.

out,itwasapparentthatthe

ng.Thepolicedepartmentwas

ementonthe streets,butpatrol

ersofthedepartment'sspecialty

s 15firestationshadclosed.

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refightersstayedoffthejob.

ationersandbattalionchiefs,

ent.Policeserviceswerebeing

icers,juvenileofficers,lieuten-

urthdayofthe strike,a

egrantedthecity'srequestfor

forcestoreturn toworkim-

redthecitytobargainin good

Actif nosettlementwere

ptember11).

whenthe safetyforcesac-

diate$26 amonthincrease.The

onal$74amonthif thevotersap-

einthecityincometaxat a

liceandfirefighterscampaigned

heunderstandingthatthe

edesignatedforemployee

mecityofficialsclaimedthat

forcapitalimprovements,with

et forthinathree-year

hesafetyforces,whichwas

don May1,1968.Theagree-

sonJanuary1, 1968,and

was aJuly1,1970,wage

ludedfringebenefitsanda

e,butfewoftheothercomplaints

olved.Althoughthesafety

ttlementwiththecity,thein-

kers.6

imosityandbitternessin

osewhohadparticipatedinthe

ed.Thesefeelingswereag-

thosewhohadworkedheldthe

ntandretainedthemafterthe

ofthesefeelingsdiminishedover

ntfromthe firstwalkoutatthe

entsurfacedrepeatedly

e1976strike.Complaintsabout

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andPrevention

ommunityandfromwithinthe

ncomplaintsaboutpolice

izensAdvisoryCommitteeto

ngmatterssuchascitizencom-

ination,lackofhumanrelations

mittee'sreport,issuedinMarch

ationsforcorrectingserious

oliceDepartment'srelations

ny actionwastakentoimple-

cilformedaspecialcommit-

onandoperationofthe police

aspromptedbyChiefDonald

ryofficeradaybeforethe endof

gfrictionbetweenthechiefand

Psupportedtheofficerandsub-

vances"againstthechiefforthe

hechargesconcerneddiscipline

tment.TheFOPclaimedthat

ughtabout,in part,bythelack

andbythechiefsfailureto

eFOPhadpresented.After

uncildeterminedthatthe

ommendedthatdisciplinary

ewedtopreventarecurrenceof

chief.Againtherecommenda-

ncilcommitteewasformed

cebrutalitystemmingfroman

wereallegedlybeatenbypolice

ommittee'shearingswasin-

dupconsiderablecontroversy

oforma citizenreviewboardas

weenpoliceandthecity's

vercameofthesuggestion.

thinthepolicedepartment

January1976,13Youngstown

ohadattemptedtobecome

tyin theUnitedStatesDistrict

aldiscriminationinhiringand

cedepartment.Thecomplaint

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e department's295officers

tofthecity'spopulationwas

ofthe20 blackpolicemenwere

captains,7lieutenants,or40

iffsaskedthecourttoenjoin

ntryandpromotionalexamina-

policeofficers,andfromusing

tingin thepolicedepartment.

orderedthe citynottohire any

une,atthe city'srequest,the

iresix officers,providedtwoof

didnot issueanywrittenorders

onfusionaboutwhetherpromo-

heless,somepromotionswere

bythecityandthe safety

dof1970.Subsequently,thecity

agreedto atwo-yearcontract

wo-yearcontractcovering1973-

chedbetweenthecity,the

s.The1973negotiations

thepoliceand firefighters.

reementwiththecity,the

ferinreturnforparity anda

anythingadditionalthat the

henofferedthesamepackage

Theyacceptedthewageoffer

gebenefits.In mostyears,all

hesamewagesettlement.In

efightersreceived2.5percent

nlongevitybenefits.Withintwo

hadobtainedthesebenefits.

unionsatwo-yearcontract

percentwageincreaseeachyear

Theunions rejectedthisoffer

witha6percentincrease.Ac-

ckHunterurgedthemto ac-

atedthattheywouldprobably

onomyimprovedin1976.The

adethisrecommendation,and

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e department's295officers

tofthecity'spopulationwas

ofthe20 blackpolicemenwere

captains,7lieutenants,or40

iffsaskedthecourttoenjoin

ntryandpromotionalexamina-

policeofficers,andfromusing

tingin thepolicedepartment.

orderedthe citynottohire any

une,atthe city'srequest,the

iresix officers,providedtwoof

didnot issueanywrittenorders

onfusionaboutwhetherpromo-

heless,somepromotionswere

bythecityandthe safety

dof1970.Subsequently,thecity

agreedto atwo-yearcontract

wo-yearcontractcovering1973-

chedbetweenthecity,the

s.The1973negotiations

thepoliceand firefighters.

reementwiththecity,the

ferinreturnforparity anda

anythingadditionalthat the

henofferedthesamepackage

Theyacceptedthewageoffer

gebenefits.In mostyears,all

hesamewagesettlement.In

efightersreceived2.5percent

nlongevitybenefits.Withintwo

hadobtainedthesebenefits.

unionsatwo-yearcontract

percentwageincreaseeachyear

Theunions rejectedthisoffer

witha6percentincrease.Ac-

ckHunterurgedthemto ac-

atedthattheywouldprobably

onomyimprovedin1976.The

adethisrecommendation,and

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andPrevention

fthe two-yearpactwaspartof

money.

wastoexpireonDecember

agreedtopostponenegotiations

November1975cityelection.In

fthecouncilwereelected.

neduntilJanuarywhenthenew

sethelameduckcouncil

ecitytoanagreement.

January1976.Thecity's

lawdirector,JamesCorbett.

financedirectororhis

nthewagetalks.TheFOP's

ofPresidentRichardBrinko,

ur Committee.Fromtheout-

neyforapayincrease.Corbett

einthecity'sgeneralfund were

mployees,eachwouldgetafive

yeeswereinsultedbywhat

Corbett,however,repeatedly

ot anoffer,butastatementof

mewouldmean tothe

te.The"nickeloffer"triggered

eAssociatedTradesandCrafts

ious citydepartmentswalked

strike,MayorHunterinvoked

kers.Most werereinstated

rdismissals.7

session,thecity council

monwagetalks,towhichthe

haddecidedtopreparetwo

ngJanuarythroughJune and

heunionswereaskedtopost-

ywhenthefinancialprojections

ouldbeavailable.Anysubse-

etroactivetoJanuary1, 1976.

o thefirefighters'associa-

cestodealwiththe cityinthe

ater,theirwageandhourcom-

rategy.Bothgroupshopedthat

utgreaterpressureon thecity

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yfeltthat thisstrategyhad

tworkagain.

a jointsessionofallunion

any wageincreasesthatyear

rbetttoldtheunionsthatif city

ntincrease,it wouldcostthe

ludingfringebenefitssuchas

sions.Thegeneralfund'spro-

yearwas$87,778,andthecom-

ngfunds wasabout$217,000.8

ent,15leadersof

unionsmettogetherto discuss

offer.Severaloftheleadersex-

yofcityleaders and

sethatthecityhadno money

ereda two-yearpackagefor

ntincreasefor1976.Theyac-

asincereefforttoconserveex-

enuesources.

ir firstjointmeeting,

ers'associationvotedtomerge

Forces,inordertogive thetwo

ower.Theleadershipofthenew

ghtmembersof theFOPwage

membersofthe firefighters'

togetthecity toreturntothe

agreement.Atthe meeting,

erYoungstownAFL-CIOLabor

thefirefighters,cautionedthe

romisedto doallhecouldto

ementwiththecity.

einthecity'sposition,and

ence.Cityofficialswerehoping

ldbecomeavailablewhichthe

anwhile,theleadersofthe

dbytheirmemberstocall a

ersfeltthatthe cityhadalready

offer.On July2,thesafety

tyof goingonstrikeduringthe

hurgedthemnotto strikeand

hcity officialstogetthemto

claimedhehadspokento

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dindicatedtheirwillingnessto

ersneverheardfromhimagain

lpthem.Inretrospect,they

itical favortothemayorby

sgrewin lateJulywhen

'svetoandauthorizedfundsfor

citywasnotsureof howmuch

ceive,becauseitwasnotcer-

matchtheauthorization.

ethatifand whenthemoney

dforemployeewages.

easkingfora6 percentincrease

htershadfavoredanacross-

ntageincrease,aviewshared

ndseveralmembersofthe

utwageinequitiesbetweenhigh

yees.MayorHunter,however,

causehewantedtomaintainthe

ntleveljobs.Hefeltthat

obsshouldget moremoney

loyees.Atameetingbetweenthe

orsandthecity'snegotiating

epoliceandfirefightersto ask

uecausedaheatedargument

arilybecausesupervisorswould

eincrease.Thedebatewasin-

themeetingthesafetyforces

tapercentageraise.

forawageincreasebased

forcesbeganto focuson

orandtheeightmembersof the

apieceinrevenuesharingmoney

onally,theyhadusedthismoney

ialservicesintheirrespective

f usingitforemployee

dthatonecouncilmanhadtold

etthe revenuesharingmoneyif

OPmet withDennis

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lawyer,todiscussthedif-

attemptingtonegotiatewith

nesthat thecityhadpushed

berswerefrustratedandready

urn,Hainestoldthemthata

heprovisionsof theFerguson

ecidedtowithholdtheirser-

formofactionto take.Various

ed,butHainescautionedthem

itwasillegalto withholdtheir

ottodeceivetheir membersby

ordertoavoidtheFergusonAct.

nizeastrike,Haines warned

or oneandnotpreparedto

themeeting,thenegotiating

hadstrikesignsprepared.

bettcalledameetingto

yunionsaboutthemayor'snew

termsofthatproposal.Hedid

the6percentfor1976and 8

ons wereasking,but"stillin

posalswerebelievedtobeunder

Theywere:1)themayor'sun-

6and 8percentproposal;3)a

doutin severalpaymentsovera

or$988,600infederalmoneytobe

otiationsfor1977tobegin im-

ity'sfailuretomakeaconcrete

forcesaskedto attenda

strationandthecouncil

r27.RockyRusso,presidentof

catedthattheonlywayprogress

ncilandadministrationto

man,Corbett,takemessages

mespeculationthatpoliticaldif-

nmayorandDemocraticcoun-

chanagreementwiththe

mayorwasrequiredto makea

ncilwhichthecouncilcould

dify.It wasthoughtthatthe

gressin1976,was reluctantto

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andPrevention

wasassured thatthecouncil

sult,thecity'snegotiating

yor instructionstoconcludean

saidaformerFOPpresident,

cil,andifitrejectsit, thenorder

nance,andbringtheordinance

wouldbeableto sitdownand

mayorhastooffer,andlater see

esagainstit."12

ing(September27),the

withthemayorandhis cabinet

hecouncilwasdividedon

dif not,whatpositionitshould

y'sfiscalpostureanddeter-

cutservices,thecouncildecided

ilent aboutitsdeliberations.

oulesexplained,"Wedecided

Wewereupagainstthewalland

hadto show[thelaborleaders]

ndthemayor."13Shortlyafter

ndhiscabinetemergedto

ntatives.Corbettreadtheoffer

upon.Catsoulesthenspokeon

tsupportedthemayor'soffer,

Althoughtheangryunion

themoverthe coals,"the

ntwhileCorbettexplainedthe

foreachcityemployee,tobe

Themoneywasto begivenasa

basepaywouldnot beincreased

wouldnotbecommittedtothe

leaderswereangeredby theof-

reverseditspositionbyin-

ise.Corbett,however,deniedthis

d neveragreedtoaraise.15

figure,whichfirstcameup

city'sestimateofhowmuch

publicworksbill pendingin

nedthatalthough$720hadbeen

m offer.

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gwasbitter. DonHanni,

onLocal14,saidthe offerwas

e meeting.Itwassupposedto

edusout.They'restillplaying

thisunderstandingofthe

kingtoits oldofferof$988,600

oneywouldbedeemedabonus,

moneywereusedas araise,

erageincreaseof$889,butif it

ldgetonly$720,sincefringe

edfromit.17Otherlabor leaders

ydiscussedthepossibilityofa

talkaboutastrikewas

kebythefollowingMonday

changeitsposition.18

administration,thecoun-

forMondayafternoon

hatthecity wouldnotchange

strongpossibilityofastrike,

ouldfirethestrikers.Attemptsto

Mondaymeetingfailed.Three

eting,andtheothers were

tofferwithouttheir approval.

nions tocomeupwithonejoint

sanotherstall tactic.19

refightersmet attheFOP

agenegotiations.Talkofstrike

derofficerswhohadoriginally

or ofone.DennisHainesex-

isks andramificationsofgoing

eystrucktheywouldhaveto

tingthecityfromtakingaction

probationaryemployees,head-

AfterHainesspoke,thetwo

outahalfhour.Whenthey

yhadvotedunanimouslyto

otspecifywhatkind.A motion

r,andwhenthejointnegotiating

ot,themembersshoutedthatit

rikeby aunanimousshowof

ers.Shortlyafterwardsapolice

ereunloadedfromthebackseat.

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andPrevention

KE

e,thesafetyforcessetup

fire headquarters.Abouttwo

dwhenErnest Paul,ablack

cketlineto reportforwork,

licegarageandstruckfour

tthrewoneofficer35feetintoa

tothe hoodofthepatrolcar,

ment.Twooftheofficerswere

ckets,Pauljumpedfromthe

wavedit inthedirectionof

dclosinginaroundhim. Two

estation,tookPaul'sgunand

the injuredofficersandother

lslursathim.Laterthat night,

saultbut wasreleasedinthe

officerswhoinitiallydecided

eonardWilliams,presidentof

onofblackofficers,condemned

yoftheblackofficershad

The nightthestrikebegan,all

eportfordutydid so.However,

department's19blackofficers

hersallegedlygavein topres-

teofficers.

reswereslashedon police

he policegarage,butthe

inewhowasresponsible.To

cecars,shiftchangeswere

restofthestrike,whichalso

fficerstowork withouthaving

r29),theseconddayofthe

picketlinesatCityHall,the

treatmentplant,and the

buildings.Althoughother

manyoftheir employeesrefused

tyemployees,includingstrik-

doffthejob, leavingseveral

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Asaresult,manycityservices

agecollectionsweremade,and

hadonlyemergencyservice.

erinboththe policeand

earlyinthestrike.OnTuesday,

t'sswornpersonneland13ofits

thethirdday ofthestrikeonly8

,includingthechief,remained.

ntotwo12-hourshifts,from6

ToChiefBaker'ssurprise,

ersjoinedthestrike.Theyin-

d16sergeants.Thechiefhad

and thosewhoheldspecialap-

ouldstayon thejob,asthey

.

edepartment,hada

nmostofthecity's260

oneofthe city's13firestations

thefirechief,twobattalion

ill onprobationandtherefore

king.Thecity'sinabilityto

becamereadilyapparentwhen

hshiftwereunableto copewith

hroughoutthecityduringthe

byarsonists.Onsomeocca-

erswerejoined bystriking

gthe blazes.Evenwiththis

firefighterswereunabletohan-

veraloccurringinrapidsucces-

gChiefBaker,weregeneral-

eyhadnocontingencyplanfor

taskforhelpfrom othernearby

retokeepthemout ofourlabor

woulddo whattheycouldto

yorHuntercontactedthegover-

situation,butneverrequested

rdorthehighwaypatrol.The

uardorthe patrolunlessthe

obtainedaninjunctionagainst

effective.Inany case,the

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andPrevention

posetoinvokingtheFerguson

tsupportit,andit wouldcreate

madenoattemptto obtainan

believedthatonprioroccasions

nnegotiationsandimposedset-

ity'sfinancialsituation.

etweenthecityandthe

dtobefruitless.Negotiations

at 11:55p.m.whileeachside

urslater,butbrokeupagainat

go backtothemayorandcoun-

yforces'attorneyDennisHaines

dealingwith negotiatorswho

ctions"andthatthe"council

etoanswerquestions."23Healso

n enoughmoneyforthepay

nfederalrevenuesharingmoney

heParkandRecreationCommis-

s$1.8 millionbecombined

deralpublicworksmoney,which

pay demands.Cityfinanceof-

8millionwas available.They

epark budgetwasthegeneral

hatdepartmentin1977. They

alreadycommittedabout$1.7

enuesharingmoneytowages,and

muchrevenuesharingmoneyon

ymightnotbecontinued.

cityneededsomeofthat money

r30),thereweresignsof

eenthecityand thesafety

percentraisefor1976,retroactive

bletoagreeonan amountfor

ns,Corbettremainedthecity's

ayorsometimesjoinedthe

uedrefusalofthemayorand

sfrustratedsomeofthestrikers

th individualcouncil

iedaccusationsthattheywere

cooperationwiththemayor.

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hroughoneman,"stated

isasmartwayto negotiate,"

Catsoules."Wecan'thave9or

ityofYoungstown."25Tokeepthe

MayorHunterhadthecouncil

ethenegotiationstookplacein

oorsabove.Healsokeptthe

kedwithsoft drinksand

earhimandawayfromthe

sday(October1),when

sofferof6 percentincreasesfor

dthattheywouldnotsettlefor

percentin 1977.Atabout5p.m.

tFordhad signedthepublic

hecitywith$988,000in fundsit

htthecouncilagreedto in-

ercent.Policeandfirenegotiators

told thatiftheydid notaccept

rgusonActandfire thestrikers.

ffing,Corbettshowedthe

heirmemberswouldgetthat

offer.Thecityplann'dto in-

hatthestrikerswoulopickup

icialsandsafetyforces'leaders

dedtocarryouthis threatto

owthatatthebeginningofthe

vokethe FergusonActifthe

Fridayafternoon.Hehadim-

eusualincreasein criminalac-

finally madetheunion

ty's6and6.5 percentofferwas

es'6and8percentdemand,

oundedtheirfigureswhenfor-

nesexplainedthatasaresult,

e, buthigherbasepaythanthe

7

s,thesafetyforces'

ffer,andits promiseofno

ktotheir membersforavoteon

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andPrevention

promisedidnot extendtothose

ingthestrike.AfterHainesex-

ngthenegotiations,safety

speakforandagainstaccepting

eddissatisfactionwiththeof-

wasapprovedbyamajority

e,onememberofthe bargaining

endedacceptanceofthecon-

hreatto firethem."Thereis

hesaid.28

efirefightershadmanned

oonthe policehadalso

lservicesalsoreturnedtonor-

nionswhohadbeenhonoringthe

RIKE

ndthesafetyforceswas

whenthecouncilpasseditas a

softhesettlement,policeand

wasincreasedby$686 from

wasincreasedby$788,bringingthe

eementdidnotcoverfringe

atedlater.However,fringe

pitethesafetyforces'repeated

ycontinuouslydelayedbecause

ncreasein thecostoffringe

matedat$3.1 millionfor

itionally,cityemployeeshadfol-

esregardingcontractpayhikes.

olutelyoptimistic"thatthe

ewagepackage,andhe

withtheirleadersbeginningon

opedtopay forthewage

eralpublicworksbill,income

offsandfewerhirings.He made

dnotrequireanynewtaxesbut

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kforce.In addition,hean-

ouldremainunfilledeven

mberoflayoffsandunfilled

thesettlementwasnotim-

duringthe strikevaried.

dthepolicetelephonessaidthat

iceableincreaseinthetypeor

ttruancy.Manystoreowners

eboysentering storesandhelp-

2Contrarytotheopinionofthose

echiefbelievedthatcrimehad

xample,hepointedto19

roughSeptember,andhalfthat

noted thatonatleasttwo occa-

rieswithina two-hourperiod.

determinehowmanycallswent

ringthefive-hourperiodone

ed.33

hechiefof policetransfer-

ircle."Themenwereallcloseto

erhissupervision,buthad

Thechiefsaidhehad been

gusted"whentheywalkedout.36

ansfersasretaliationfor their

efdeniedany retaliatory

ransferswas hisneedtohave

ypositions,andheconsidered

loyal.

oyeesbecameacertaintyin

y1977,fourpoliceofficersand12

equicklyreinstatedwithfederal

ningActfunds.Inaddition,20

tand10 inthefiredepartment

n.Overall,57cityemployees

swereleftunfilled.Both the

ionprotestedthelayoffsand

dthatthecityhadnot

ssity"tocutthesizeofits

officersproducedno

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sesandPrevention

onsinthe policedepartmentother

estrike,there wasnodiscernible

ile'smoraleor attitudetowards

alsocontinued,andmayhavebeen

ofsomeblacksto jointhestrike,

scriminationsuitagainstthe

romotionsbetweenNovember

imposedaracialquotaonhiring.

to expireonDecember31,

rwasnotrunning forreelection,the

y'srequestinthefall of1977that

nthe1978contractuntil thenew

1978,thenew mayoraskedthe

onsagaintogivehim timeto

andtheunionsagreed.Thefirst

March1,1978. Representativesofall

mayoraskedfor a120-daypost-

ionsgavehim only60days.He

vetimeandeffort,allunions

nsagreed,andthecitycompiledtwo

int listcontainedthedemands

he speciallistincludedthein-

on,whichthe citywouldnegotiate

union.Fromtheoutset,the city

veanacross-the-boardraisetoall

onsdecidedonajointwage de-

ra$1.25an hourincrease.Thecity,

ckagecontaininga2 percentin-

77,anda wagereopenerin1980.The

unions.Subsequentlytheunions

an hourandthecityincreased its

our.Astalematedevelopedandtheun-

sto preventastrikethroughlast

ndonMay8,all cityemployeeun-

ethirdtime in11yearsthat

ghterswalkedoffthejob overawage

now,"commentedoneveteran

ytime."

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.S.Dept.of Labor/Bureauof

oppagesin 1973.U.S.Dept.ofLabor/-

7. WorkStoppagesin1974.U.S.Dept.of

stics,p.9.WorkStoppagesin 1975.U.S.

orStatistics,p.9.

chersAssociationv.DaytonBoard

4(Ohio1975)in whichtheOhioSupreme

shavediscretionarypower tonegotiate

ainingagreements.

CitizensWageandRevenueStudy

ntedbyMayorAnthonyFlask,releaseda

employeeswerebeingpaidlessthantheir

roughoutthestate. Thereportshowed

firefighterswerepaid12percentlower

Vindicator,September10,1967.

7.05.Thestatuteprovidesthat

natedforstrikingmaybe reinstatedbut

ditions:1)their compensationcannotex-

dimmediatelypriortostriking;2) their

easedforoneyearfollowingtheir reinstate-

bationfortwoyearsfollowingtheir rein-

eservewithout tenureatthewill and

dy.OhioR.C.4117.03.

1200ayearraise,while female

ausethecitywantedto keeptheirwagesin

atesector.

anuary16,1976.

ningCountyCourtofAppealsup-

edthatthecity hadfailedtoprovein the

ndividualhadbeenon strike.

May28,1976.

eptember24,1976.

ncilwere Democratswhilethe

themayorwereRepublicans.

September24,1976.

September27,1976.

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andPrevention

tember28,1976.

ctedoffourcountsofsimpleas-

in jail.

tember29,1976.

tember30,1976.

yforcity employeesforwork

thesafetyforceswereaskingfor

976andanother8percentof $11,436

r,wasoffering6 percentof$11,436

f$12,122($788)in1977.Underthe safety

been$12,350in 1977;underthecity

ober1,1976.

ober3,1976.Thecity finance

gthestrikethecitysaved about

oximately900cityworkersstayedoff

or,October1,1976.

ober1,1976.

ober2,1976.

ober3,1976.

hiefsaidetonight turn

antonightturnpatroldivision;bomb

sion;andweaponsofficertotraffic

efwithouthis aideandchieffederal

mentwithoutabombsquad exceptfor

ober3,1976.

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a relativelyrecent

sedafterthefamousBoston

was anotherpolicestrikeina

nextfewyears,aseries of

nsthroughoutthecountry.

cedstrikeswereSanFrancisco,

lahomaCity,Oklahoma;Las

stown,Ohio.Insomewaysthese

urredincitiesofvarioussizes

rgestcity.Onestrikelasted32

rikerslosttheir jobs.Others

ghts. Othersworeflowersin

owever,thestrikeswerequite

esesimilaritiesforthepurpose

estrikesandwhathappens

ate,recommendationsaremade

Whilethereis nowayto

lityofpolicestrikes,thechances

edif theconditionswhichcause

parts.Thefirstsectioniden-

ofthefive strikes;thesecond

rswhichimpactedontheevents

cribesthesalientfeaturesofthe

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G o o g l e - d

Nij-police Strikes-causes and Prevention

Documents

Transcript of Nij-police Strikes-causes and Prevention