MPD sergeants union accepted

Nearly eight months after the Maricopa City Council voted to create a separate union for Maricopa Police sergeants, the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police has accepted the Maricopa sergeants as their newest members.

“We consider the request for recognition as a positive step forward in establishing a professional and effective relationship between the city and the sergeants,” said Sgt. Ed Alameda, chairman of the F.O.P. Maricopa Sergeants Council in a press release.

The primary purpose of the new union is to advocate for the interests of members during discussions with the city concerning wages, benefits and working conditions, Alameda added.

The Fraternal Order of Police is the world’s largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers, with more than 327,000 members around the globe. The F.O.P. is the voice of those who dedicate their lives to protecting and serving our communities.

The issue of splitting officers and sergeants into two unions was brought before city council June 2 after seven of the department’s 10 sergeants petitioned the city asking that sergeants be removed from representation by the City of Maricopa Police Association (COMPA) due to potential conflicts of interest between officers and supervisors.

Ed Alameda, one of the sergeants requesting the change, told the council at the June 2 meeting that a joint sergeants-officers union creates problems when a supervisor and officer engage in a departmental dispute and both are members of the same organization.

“How is an association going to mitigate a fair compromise when a supervisor is in direct conflict with an officer in same association?” he said. “That’s happened more than once.”

Union President Sgt. Aki Stant said at the meeting that it wasn’t an issue since departmental rank wasn’t recognized within the organization, and all members were represented equally. He added that a vote by union members to create separate sergeants’ and officers’ associations had failed; the issue should be addressed internally within the organization and without direction from the city. Barring sergeants from COMPA would take any of  the benefits of the three sergeants who didn’t sign the petition and wanted to remain within the union.

Martin Bihn, attorney for COMPA, said no police employee was required to join the association, and he said the petition, which asked that COMPA only serve officers and that no one above the rank of officer be allowed to represent the union, appeared to be an attempt to oust Stant from his role as union president.

“Aki Stant has been very vocal, and, if you put this into effect, Sgt. Stant loses his position and he’s out of the bargaining unit,” Bihn said. “That looks to us as to what’s at issue here.”

Several of the sergeants asking to be excluding from COMPA stated that despite choosing not be active members of the union, all the sergeants were still represented by the association and could not discuss issues with police and city leaders because of the terms in its memorandum of understanding with the city.

“Any decision they make affects me; I have no choice in the manner,” said Sgt. James Hudspeth. “Even though we don’t pay dues, we’re stuck under the umbrella (of the union).”

Shortly after council voted to approve the split, Stant was placed on administrative leave, stemming from an investigation into more than a dozen allegations. Stant returned to duty on Oct. 5, having received a one-day suspension as a result of the investigation.

During the time he was on leave, COMPA’s lawyer filed a claim against Maricopa City Council and City Manager Kevin Evans for allegedly breaching the union’s meet-and-confer agreement during contract negotiation.

A new contract between the two entities still has not been finalized, and the city is yet to respond to the claim. The next step in the formation of the sergeants’ union will be council approval.

For more details, click the following links:

Police union president threatens lawsuit
Police union attorney alleges misconduct
COMPA sues Maricopa City Council, city manager

File photo