Police Unions are no longer a force for Good. This might fix it.
Mayors and City Councils should decertify police unions, but blend the police rank and file into existing public employee unions like SEIU or AFSCME.
Presently the center of gravity in police union leadership elections skews toward the most loudmouthed, confrontational, circle-the-wagons type leader; sort of like an election in a crappy, gerrymandered congressional district.
However, if city employees from Parks & Rec, Jobs & Family Services, Utilities, and Fire were also voting for the union leadership, a broad array of community voices would be heard. The ensuing Collective Bargaining Agreements would begin to consider the interests of the whole community, not just the cops.
All of these municipal workers ‘protect and serve’ their communities in their own ways so the union members would share a common purpose. Guardians, not warriors.
And union membership would remain strong.
= new reply since forum marked as read
and no it wouldn't.
hurts every Union worker out there. As an organizer and a steward i say, "A pox on you!" (playfully and with Shakespearean vitriol). I have to ask because i've never taken objection to other stuff i've read by you... are you on the wrong website right now? Most of the Democrats i know are, you know, actually in favor of Unions. But i'm not getting that sense from you at this moment. And quite frankly what you're saying isn't making a heckuva lot of sense.
but what you describe isn't it. The only way to decertify a SHOP (Precincts or districts maybe for the Police) is if the Union SHOP-MEMBERS vote in a Majority to decertify the Union. IOW, the people being represented have to be unhappy with their representation. I think that is unlikely to happen in any "cop shop" in the nation.
