The Texas Supreme Court recently upheld a provision in the Austin Firefighters Association collective bargaining agreement that provides paid leave for “Association Business.” The case, Roger Borgelt, et al. v. Austin Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 975, et al., involved a challenge brought by
Jasmine Johnson-Purnell is a Licensed Practical Nurse employed by the Washington State Department of Corrections at the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton. She was part of a nonsupervisory unit represented by Teamsters Local 117. In January 2024, Johnson-Purnell was assigned new medication car
Ryan Pownall is a Philadelphia police officer who was terminated and criminally charged after fatally shooting David Jones following a dispute over Jones’ operation of a dirt bike. Terrance Freeman, who was riding in the back seat of Pownall’s police vehicle, witnessed the shooting. Jones was taken
In January 2019, the Nickerson Post, a banquet hall in Quincy, Massachusetts, hired Paul Keenan and Christopher Bulger to provide private police detail at a concert. Keenan was chief of the City’s police department, and Bulger was an officer in that department. That evening, the Nickerson Post was o
Until 2011, Article V of the charter of the City of Palo Alto, California required binding interest arbitration for certain labor disputes with its public safety unions. Facing a budget crisis in 2010 and 2011, the City council proposed modifying Article V to require cheaper dispute resolution proc
Troy Carter was a correctional officer and shift supervisor with the rank of lieutenant at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Southern Regional Jail and Correctional Facility in West Virginia. Carter received a call from Major Larry Warden in May 2022 “informing him that he was being suspend
On June 30, 2020, Antavione Ferguson, then a lieutenant with the Montgomery Police Department in Alabama, approached a suspect that had been involved in a car chase. Ferguson had just observed the suspect ram his car twice into a car he was chasing. After the second collision, the suspect exited the
In March 2024, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Employees’ Association filed a representation petition with the Oregon Employment Relations Board by card check, seeking to certify a new bargaining unit of “all sergeants employed by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Department.” The Deschutes County Sheri
Nisha King was a sergeant with the Provo City Police Department in Utah. In July 2022, King and several other officers were assigned to retrieve flags from the Provo mayor’s old office and transport them to the new City building. As the assigned officers were moving the flags and flag stands, King p
A police officer in Manchester, New Hampshire, referred to here as John Doe, was arrested and charged with DWI in 2020 while off duty in New York. He resigned two weeks later, and the City notified the Attorney General’s Office that Doe should be placed on the Exculpatory Evidence Schedule (EES). Do
Correctional Officers Justin Drexler and Courtney Cornell are employees of the Alleghany County Jail (ACJ) in Pennsylvania. The CBA between the Allegheny County Prison Employees Independent Union (Union) and the County lays out a process by which COs may be required to fill staffing shortages, at th
Eric Noble worked as a security guard at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Library for a little over two years. On May 26, 2020, Noble shared a widely disseminated meme on Facebook. It depicted figures being maimed or running to escape from being maimed by a large automobile, with the words “ALL LIV
Sergio Ramirez began his tenure as a police officer in the California City of Indio Police Department in 2005. In August 2016, Ramirez was charged with rape and two additional counts of sexual assault of his 18-year-old niece. The City of Indio placed Ramirez on administrative leave, asked him to t
Although this case does not directly involve a public safety union, it is a cautionary tale for public sector employers and the unions with whom they negotiate. AFSCME Local 2384 represents the unsworn personnel of the City of Phoenix, Arizona. The Local 2384 represents workers across several units
Jane Doe is the pseudonym of a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania firefighter, who was employed by the City for over 30 years. Doe came out as a transgender woman late in her career and sought pre-authorization for facial feminization surgery from her City-provided health insurance. She had earlier been dia
On January 26, 2018, Officer Erik Andrade of the Milwaukee Police Department was part of a group of officers who forcibly arrested Milwaukee Bucks player Sterling Brown. Brown was arrested with force and was shocked with a Taser. Andrade transported him to the police station after his arrest. Late
James Stanley was a correctional sergeant in Macomb County, Michigan, serving under Sheriff Anthony Wickersham and Undersheriff Elizabeth Darga. Wickersham was elected in 2012, and Stanley had supported Wickersham’s opponent. In 2016, Wickersham ordered Stanley’s demotion from sergeant to correctio
In late 2021, the El Paso Police Department responded to a “shots fired” call at the home of John and Paola Connelly. Their neighbor reported that John had threatened him with a machete and demanded that he apologize to John. Upon arrival, the police observed John standing at the home of his neighb
In May 2022, the City of Lebanon, Pennsylvania moved its offices, including the police department, to a new building about four blocks away. Prior to the move, police officers were permitted to park their personal vehicles wherever they pleased, whether in a public lot, or in metered street parkin
Prior to the year 2000, the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin maintained a retirement fund called the Firemen’s and Policemen’s Survivorship Fund, which was one of several City-administered pension and/or retirement benefit plans available to City employees through the City’s Employees’ Retirement Syst
In January 2023, the City of Englewood, New Jersey enacted a scheduling change for the Englewood Police Department, increasing working hours from 8.25 per day to 10.25 or 11 hours per day. The Englewood Police Department Supervisory Officers Association agreed to this change, but at the time, nei
Jatonya Clayborn Muldrow was a police officer for the City of St. Louis. From 2008 through 2017, Muldrow worked in the Department’s specialized Intelligence Division, a job that came with perks, responsibilities, and preferable scheduling. In 2017, she was transferred against her will and replaced
Captain Ryan Reese worked for Clark County Fire District 6 in Washington for 24 years and was the union president. On August 17, 2021, the District announced a promotional exam for battalion chief. Reese was ranked at the top of the promotional list, followed by Captain Scott Johns and Captain Jeff
Teamsters Local 839 represents correctional officers in the Franklin County Jail in Washington State. The CBA between Local 839 and Franklin County Corrections provides that “the labor representative of the union may visit the work location of employees covered by this agreement at any reasonable