11/11/2023
All,
I wanted to take a moment, on behalf of the executive board, to thank each and every one of you for all that you do and sacrifice. Today I’d especially like to thank all our veterans! Thank you for your service to our country and continued service to our community!
I wanted to provide everyone with an update with what is currently going on within the union. First, we are currently waiting on the decision for our unfair labor practice lawsuit against the city. This addresses the “Beecher Rule” or the practice of riding the books. The hearing for the matter was held on September 20th. IUPA’s attorney, Bill Bjork and I testified before the hearing officer our firm belief that giving up this ability was not agreed upon by the union and are seeking an immediate reversal of Stacie Mason’s decision to remove this option from our retiring officers. Stacie Mason and Captain Rainey testified for the city. The hearing lasted the better part of the day, and we were represented by Martin Powell, an attorney hired by IUPA to give us the best litigator available to us and our cause in relation to the ULP. We expect to hear the decision on this matter sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but this could certainly occur sooner. We will immediately pass the decision along to the rest of you as soon as we hear any updates.
The Christmas Party is soon approaching, and the committee is finalizing plans on the date/time for this year. Please stay tuned for updates as we’ll publish this information in the coming week or two to allow any of you to make plans to attend with your significant others. This years gathering will take place on a B Squad working day (we rotate year to year to allow everyone assigned to patrol an equal opportunity to participate).
The positions of Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer are coming up to the close of their current term. Nominations will be due no later than Sunday, November 19th by 5:00 PM. You can nominate anyone, including yourself, to run for one of these open positions by emailing or by responding to this email. These terms are for two years and will represent the membership from January 1st, 2024 to December 31st, 2026. The president position will be up for election next year. These positions are on a voluntary basis and obviously not compensated other than a time bank available for use to attend negotiations or union functions during your scheduled work hours only – you do not get paid overtime or anything if these meetings/functions occurred outside of your scheduled hours. That being said and acknowledging that it can be a thankless job at times, it is a noble cause to contribute to the success of our agency. Please seriously consider nominating someone who would take this cause seriously and represent us well! The election from the nominations will occur the first part of December and votes will be counted, and positions announced at the Christmas Party, as is tradition.
If you are not currently a member of the union or contributing to the legal defense fund, PLEASE consider the risk that we take on everyday due to the nature of our work. I do not want to ever see anyone, trainee, veteran, detective or anyone, take any type of action and risk being prosecuted or sued without legal representation. If you are not a union member or contributing to the legal defense fund, you would be responsible for your own representation. Please feel free to reach out to myself or any member of the executive board for more information or assistance in filling out any forms (attached to this email). Please remember, together with strength we are a united front and stronger together. I realize the dues increased but I feel it is a small price to pay for an exceptional legal defense fund and the efforts your current board have put forth to achieve historic raises for each and every one of you.
We will continue to work towards the best and most competitive contract we can get, to include pay, moving forward. We all must do our part to get involved and contribute towards the success of our agency and union. Negotiations on pay for next year will be resuming in early 2024. Please watch for those updates as well as a survey in the first quarter of 2024 so we can get a pulse on the feelings on the direction of our agency and what we can prioritize to work on this coming year.
God Bless each of you and please, have each other’s backs!
Sincerely,
Eric A. Urbain, President of IUPA 6045
On behalf of the IUPA 6045 Executive Board
