Alexandria Chapter of the VAPBA

02/23/2022

The election results are in. The majority of Alexandria sworn police officers made history and chose the SSPBA to be the first bargaining agent for a police bargaining unit in Virginia under the new Virginia law. Thank you to each of you who voted for the SSPBA. For Alexandria police officers, regardless of your vote, please know we look forward to working with, and for, all of you. If there are any specific concerns please reach out to us, we want to open up the lines of communication as we move forward into the next stage.

02/23/2022

Today the sworn ranks of the Alexandria Police. Department decided to put their trust in the local PBA representation and selected them as the exclusive bargaining agent for our sworn personnel. This is a historic step for our profession in Virginia as we are the first in the Commonwealth to enter into collective bargaining.

We are humbled and we thank the officers of the Alexandria Police Department for putting their trust in us to lead the fight for better pay, better benefits and better working conditions. We will represent ALL of the Lieutenants, Sergeants and officers of APD with dignity and ensure equal representation for everyone. Our promise to you is that all employees will have a voice in setting the agenda moving forward.

Damon Minnix
VAPBA Alexandria Chapter President

02/22/2022

I would like to announce that the Alexandria Chapter of the Virginia Police Benevolent Association has been elected to represent Alexandria Police Officers in collective bargaining with the City.

The Alexandria Chapter Board, PBA administration and our legal team have worked tirelessly to spread the word about PBA service, benefits and legal expertise regarding collective bargaining. Today the Alexandria Police officers have chosen who they trust to take the historic step as the first police agency in Virginia to reach this milestone.

The chapter board is ready, the legal team is in place and we look forward to beginning a new era in employee representation.

Congratulations to the Alexandria Police Benevolent Association Chapter Board who gave their all to make sure the best representation is in place for every Alexandria Police Officer.

Alexandria Local PBA Board

02/04/2022

Hear from one of our PBA attorneys handling collective bargaining in Alexandria. The election has begun so watch your mailboxes for the ballot access code and vote for PBA using the secure online election.

02/01/2022

We just received word IUPA has made accusations about the vote of one of our attorneys on a collective bargaining ordinance in another county.

First, we want to thank IUPA for pointing out the experience Mr. Kershner has in a very new process in Virginia, including his experience as an elected official in seeking to improve collective bargaining ordinance in Loudoun County, Fairfax County, Alexandria, and elsewhere.

However, we must point out that once again IUPA has failed to tell the whole story. Mr. Kershner voted against a particular ordinance for specific reasons: one key reason is that the Loudoun County ordinance did not include collective bargaining for law enforcement as a collective bargaining unit. If there is one group that should have collective bargaining today, it is law enforcement. Collective bargaining is critical for law enforcement, especially in cities like Alexandria, where officers face challenges and dangers on all sides.

PBA attorneys, including Mr. Kershner and Mr. Thetford, have stood for your interests in Alexandria through grievances, litigation, and other means. They know how to fight for you and have a track record success in protecting officers. Mr. Kershner is a former Assistant Commonwealth Attorney and has now been representing law enforcement for the last 15 years in Alexandria and throughout the state. His firm has defended the interests of PBA members by filing multi-plaintiff litigation, helping officers collect wrongly withheld pay, successfully defending officers in jury trials, and protecting officers from unfair employment practices through grievances and other administrative proceedings.

Collective bargaining is another key tool that our attorneys can use to represent police officers. We are hopeful that this process can prevent some of these problems before they impact you and be used to address problems that are deeper than can be resolved through litigation or the grievance process.

Our PBA attorneys have been fighting to include as many law enforcement officers as possible so that no eligible officer is excluded from the process or protections that come with collective bargaining.

Remember, that this election is to select who is best able to represent you in collective bargaining with the City. The bargaining agent will represent all bargaining unit employees in collective bargaining negotiations, regardless of membership in a particular organization (which carries other benefits independent of the election).

01/27/2022

Update: Be on the lookout for the attached envelope containing your voting information. The Labor Relations Administrator has provided the sample envelope that will contain the voting code and instructions coming via mail starting February 3. Be on the lookout next week for your envelope and you can contact us with questions or contact the LRA if you do not receive it.

01/26/2022

Alexandria Officers

We are pleased to announce that the election is set for February 3 through February 22. Please note that while you received a sample ballot and a notice of the election, the only way your vote will be counted is if you vote using your phone or computer using the code that you will receive in the mail (see instructions). If you do not receive your code, you can contact the Labor Relations Administrator directly to receive it. His contact info is in the voting notice and instructions guide. Feel free to reach out to your PBA reps if you have questions about the process.

01/21/2022

Who are the PBA attorneys on the ground? If you attended our recent event (or attend our next event) you had an opportunity to meet some of the attorneys who have been representing PBA members for years and have been involved in the collective bargaining process. Caleb Kershner is a partner at Simms Showers, current member of his Board of Supervisors, and has been involved in working with law enforcement officers for years. He is a former Assistant Commonwealth Attorney and has worked on behalf of PBA members and in other law enforcement cases for years in private practice. He looks forward to expanding that role in the collective bargaining process.

A former prosecuting attorney (Assistant Commonwealth Attorney) in Loudoun County, Virginia, Caleb A. Kershner has litigated hundreds of bench and jury trials.

01/21/2022

Why SSPBA

01/20/2022

How does collective bargaining start? Collective bargaining began in Alexandria with an ordinance governing the process and the appointment of a neutral to arbitrate between the City and the Employees. PBA attorneys have been involved from the beginning to make sure employees interests are protected. The next step is for the Labor Relations Administrator to review petitions submitted by labor groups to determine if a showing of interest has been made to hold an election. We expect that an election will likely follow shortly for employees in each bargaining unit (such as the police bargaining unit) to vote for their preferred bargaining agent, which will then be the spokesmen for the bargaining unit in negotiating a collective bargaining agreement with the City.

01/18/2022

The PBA provides the absolute best services out there. From our legal services to our accidental death benefit package, we are dedicated to taking care our members.

Shooting Scenes: The PBA provides an attorney to contact you at the scene of all on-duty shootings or serious injuries arising from your law enforcement duties, going to the scene if necessary.

Civil Suits and Criminal Action: The PBA provides an attorney to protect your individual interests if you are named as defendant in any civil or criminal action arising out of your duties as a law enforcement officer. NO CAP or LIMIT.

Legislative Representation: The PBA maintains a professional staff of lobbyists to aid in obtaining legislation beneficial to the law enforcement profession.

Disciplinary Representation: With approval of your local board, the PBA provides staff/attorney representation in cases where you have been unfairly disciplined as a result of duty-related actions.

For more information click on the link below.
https://www.sspba.org/gen/articles/Legal_Benefits_83.jsp

Accidental Death Benefit: We believe that our accidental death benefit is the most generous of any such plan in our service area.
Your beneficiary will receive:

(1) your base salary for one year if you are killed in the performance of your law enforcement duties (maximum payment: $70,000), or

(2) $10,000 accidental, non occupational death, or to retired and reserved members, in accordance with the terms and limitations of our insurance policy which underwrites the benefit.

LEGAL BENEFITS ARE AVAILABLE TO SSPBA MEMBERS IN ACCORDANCE WITH POLICY FOR INCIDENTS ARISING FROM THE PERFORMANCE OF A DIRECT LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTION.