Show Me the Money: Collective Bargaining and Police - Research Paper Example

Show me the money: Collective Bargaining and police Introduction Police officers’ roles have changed over time. They are nowadays required to suppress family disputes, operate complicated equipment, administer emergency medical treatment to victims of traffic crashes or violent crimes, and are also required to be up to date with the changing criminal procedures. This clearly shows that there is constant change in the services that police officers offer. There is increasing demand for their service, and there is need for them to have such knowledge and skills. In their line of work, based on the increased number and complexity of services that police officers offer, they are also faced with a variety of challenges (Stering, 2007). As indicated above, police officers are nowadays required to suppress family disputes. If for example, a police officer is called to a situation requiring such service, and it happens that he needed support (say two more police officers to his aid) to deal with the situation. His boss, however, may not find it necessary to have two more police officers to deal with such a situation. There will be lack of understanding between the two. One can see the source of conflict. The police officer finds it necessary to have more people deal with specific case situations, while the assigning boss finds it not necessary. This is one of the reasons why police officers need collective bargaining. They need to make their bosses understand more about their working conditions, pay, and the experiences they go through. There is constant change, explicit liability, increasing demand for service, and an increase in the number of lawsuits filed against law enforcement officers. These are the reasons why police officers resort to collective bargaining (Stering, 2007). Police officers are under the management of a police administrator. The administrator should therefore, be concerned about the activities of the human resource he manages. One of such activities is; engagement in collective bargaining organizations. Collective bargaining is an issue to a police administrator in various ways. It is part of his role, for such organizations are part of those that the manager should coordinate with. It may form part of his protection as well, and it may guide the administrator in the management of his officers. This paper will describe how collective bargaining is an issue to a police administrator by explaining the link between the organization and the role of the administrator. Collective Bargaining in Law enforcement Collective bargaining is no longer a new issue in law enforcement. Previously, the news of police officers engaging in collective bargaining activities was met with a lot of resistance, with some being accused of an intention to cause disruption in higher offices. This is no longer the case. Collective bargaining organizations or unions in which police officers are involved have been gradually accepted (Sirolli, n.d; Wilson, Zhao, Ren & Briggs, 2006). A study aimed at finding out if collective bargaining was important in law enforcement revealed that most police administrators, and higher ranking officials, supported bargaining units within their agencies. They argued that bargaining units ensured equality concerning terms and conditions of work, helped with job security, provided an opening for grievances on serious concerns, and ensured better benefits. It also allowed the law enforcement officers to have a clear voice, and helped management in building its integrity among the people. Some high ranking officials indicated that there are some administrators who still mistreat their employees. They thought that bargaining units may have their disadvantages, but were necessary. Bargaining units were also advocated for because of their capability to address terms and conditions of the job in an orderly manner (Sirolli, n.d). A few people among those surveyed however, still believed that there was no need for bargaining units or unions in law enforcement. They argued that such organizations were formed by discontented employees who wanted to cause chaos within the ranks. This is one way in which unions and collective bargaining are an issue to a police administrator. The police administrator has the role of identifying conflicts within his organization and solving them appropriately. A conflict may occur between those who support collective bargaining and those who do not. The police administrator may also not support collective bargaining, or may support such initiative. It means therefore, that there may be conflict between the administrator and the employees, and among the employees themselves (Sirolli, n.d). It is well known that in the law enforcement industry, in the early years of the twentieth century, administrators had often taken advantage of the law enforcement officers. Employees were subjected to less than agreeable working hours, conditions, and compensation. These issues have forced the unions or bargaining units to surface. These have changed the negotiation process from emotional outbursts to more rational processes. The unions are adversarial organizations that act when there is a conflict between organized employees, and the interest of management. They represent their members in matters concerning their welfare benefits, better working conditions, and better pay. The unions offer protection against arbitrariness in managerial and personnel decisions. Police officers have used unions to advocate for what is appropriate by influencing departmental policies concerning shift assignments, manning, and discipline, among others. These issues were previously left to management to decide on (Sirolli, n.d). Management should recognize the role of the unions in managing the police officers’ grievances. They have to realize that their employees have turned into labor relations processes to fight for desirable standards of living and working conditions (Sirolli, n.d). The purpose of unions or collective bargaining organizations should be reason enough to understand how they are an issue to the police administrator. The administrator manages the issues of the organization. He should be concerned about labor management. Since employees have found an organization through which they can voice their common problems and requirements, the administrators have to find a way to coordinate with labor management organizations. Through this kind of coordination, the management can help achieve some of its objectives such as delivering cost effective and high quality services, while still ensuring high quality working environment (Carpenter, n.d). How Collective Bargaining Is Linked To the Role of the Police Administrator The role of a police administrator explains how bargaining units are an issue to them. The police administrator is the leader, the organizer, and the manager. All these roles are connected with the police unions. When told about the role of a police administrator, one has to think of what policing entails. It is all about protecting the weak and the helpless, concern for the needs and welfare of the community, safeguarding the laws and constitution of the land, and dedication to police code of ethics. Police administration provides the direction, structure, and environment to enable effective policing. One can therefore deduce the role of an administrator. He has to ensure the structure can meet the objectives of policing, has to direct the operations to ensure the aims of policing are met, and has to ensure the environment enables achievement of the objectives (Gaines & Worrall, 2011). These aims are accomplished through control of various units that form the police department. These include; finance, personnel, investigation, reporting, among others. The administrator controls the finances of the department. He is the one who makes decisions about expenditures on training, personnel, and equipment to be used in the department. He prepares the annual budget and ensures the department meets its financial goals. The administrator has the duty of ensuring that finances are well managed. This means that he decides whether his employees deserve better pay or not. Better pay is one of the issues that bargaining units fight for. The administrator’s role is connected to the resolution of issues brought forward by the bargaining units concerning payment and rewards (Gaines & Worrall, 2011; Ruiz & Hummer, 2007). The administrator is responsible for hiring the right personnel. He decides on the number of employees a department requires. For efficiency in service delivery in law enforcement, there should be a specific number of people assigned to one officer. If for example this is not considered by the administrator when hiring the department’s personnel, the law enforcement officers can complain through their unions. The unions will make sure the problems are solved by negotiating what is favorable, with the police officers’ employer (Gaines & Worrall, 2011; Ruiz & Hummer, 2007). The administrator also ensures that police officers get the right training to carry out their duties. A police officer should not be expected to carry out complicated tasks without the right skills. In this area too, the unions can voice the grievances of the police officers. Take an example of a police officer required to handle an explosive in a crime scene, or various situations, yet he does not have the skills. Such situations are risky, and may lead to an officer’s death. In such cases, officers can present their fears through their unions. It is also part of motivation in the organization. Workers need to feel appreciated for a manager to maximize their potential. This leads to efficiency in service provision. The administrator should make sure that the employees feel valued; that their role in the department is important (Cordner, 2013; Wuestewald, 2006). There is also employee disciplinary issues that the administrator needs to deal with. He has to make sure that work schedules and shifts are well covered. The administrator has not to do this alone, but can assign junior managers to see to it that the work is done. Any grievances concerning such issues are however, taken to the overall manager. In this area, the role of the unions comes in when the employees feel discriminated against. As indicted earlier, in the early twentieth century, police administrators used to exploit their workers, with some assigning work shifts on favoritism basis. Collective bargaining is an issue to be considered in almost every role of the administrator. The administrator can choose to take the role of the unions negatively or positively, but considering what the unions advocate for, he should consider it part of issues to be managed in his position (Cordner, 2013). Collective bargaining also forms part of conflict management. A union comes in to voice the grievances of police officers mostly in cases where they have common problems, and individual complaints are not taken seriously. It means that the employees’ needs are in conflict with the interests of the management. As a manager, conflict resolution forms part of his duties. Collective bargaining is an issue because it tests the administrator’s competency in solving conflicts with the bargaining organization and the employees. It also tests his competency in managing the interests of the organization (Cordner, 2013). The administrator is also the leader of the law enforcement officers in the department. A leader models the way by enacting values that others can emulate. The presence of bargaining units in one’s department presents an opportunity for the leader to model the way. A leader challenges the process by being creative and innovative. Collective bargaining has been considered evil, because it is suspected that some police officers use it to cause chaos. A leader should be creative in incorporating new ideas, such as bargaining units, into the department. This will prove his competency and leadership. Again collective bargaining issues present an opportunity for the leader to show his capability in that position. A leader also inspires a shared vision. Currently, the existence of collective bargaining units in police departments is a shared vision. This is because it is an embraced idea by the majority, with the hope that it will improve working conditions and provision of services. A police administrator as a leader therefore, should encourage the idea. A leader should recognize others’ contributions, and accomplishments. He should also enable others to act. Collective bargaining is one way through which the administrator can allow the employees to act, and by allowing them to join unions, the administrator will be recognizing the employees’ accomplishments (Wuestewald, 2006). Collective bargaining is also an issue because it affects the role of the administrator in exercising ethics and professionalism in the area of work. As an administrator, he will be expected to be ethical in his judgments and behavior. Being ethical in behavior entails acting according to societal standards of behavior. It means that the administrator is expected to act according to the law, but is not bound by the laws to act ethically. Collective bargaining organizations always fight for the rights of the employees. If the administrator will disregard what such organizations are fighting for, and the society finds it necessary for the police department to listen and make changes; the administrator may fall in the category of being unethical. This however, depends on the situation. A case where the collective bargaining units are fighting for the welfare of the police officers, and the police department has the capability to meet such needs comfortably, may brand the administrator unethical if he does not listen, and respond to the grievances appropriately (McGraw Hill Education, 2013). Ethics is all about behavior indicative of specific virtues, for example, morality. Administrator’s response and coordination with the bargaining units reveals a lot about his ethical behavior, which also influences his control over the department (McGraw Hill Education, 2013). Police unions affect implementation of policy. It has been established that police unions make it difficult for new policies to be implemented. A Detroit police chief for example, attempted to implement some changes in the department to make it more disciplined and professional. This move attracted criticism from union officials who claimed the new changes affected their officers, but they had no say in them. It is quite clear that the police chief was performing his duty as an administrator, and found the changes necessary, but the police union officials also felt that they should have been consulted concerning issues affecting their members. Police union in this case interfered with the administrator’s job. Police unions also fight against execution of some programs for example, lateral entry, civilian review boards, disciplinary procedures, changes in department policies, and promotion procedures. This explains a lot about the involvement of police unions in the execution of managerial duties of the administrator. The unions fight for a direct say in issues affecting individual police officers, and show that it is their responsibility to fight for them (Christopher, 2008). Collective bargaining affects other police practices, for example investigation, reporting, and carrying out normal police duties. It can motivate or demoralize police officers depending on the outcome of a bargain. An administrator should consider this an issue, for it affects the productivity of his workforce (Gaines & Worrall, 2011). Conclusion The world is changing, and this is accompanied by new practices in various organizations. The adoption of police unions is an example of changes taking place in organization operations, and the world as a whole. Employees have rights which are defended by law, and the right to belong to a union that fights for their rights is one of them. Police officers are not exempted, and for that reason, they formed police unions. Police unions however, have been considered a nuisance by a few people who think police officers engaged in such practice, are out to disrupt the order of management. Majority of police chiefs however, have embraced the idea. They argue that it is necessary to ensure efficiency in service provision, hence quality services to the public. The aim of this paper was to show how collective bargaining is an issue to a police administrator. It is clear from the arguments presented that the role of the administrator is linked to the activities of the police unions. The administrator is the organizer and the general manager of issues at the highest level of the organization. The administrator sets the rules and policies to guide the accomplishment of policing missions. As the managers, they have to find ways to control the department to ensure that the units and personnel follow the rules and policies in place. These roles are affected by the unions since the administrator cannot make decisions without considering how the unions will respond, or the effect of such decisions on individual police officers. Unions affect the role of the administrator both positively and negatively. Negatively because they cause interference, some of which may not be necessary, and positively because they guide the administrator through accomplishing what is right. References Carpenter, R. D. (n.d). Unionism in Law Enforcement. Retrieved from: https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Content/getdoc/ab1a83da-54dc-449a-afe2-729c1a1bfdca/Carpenter-Richard-paper.aspx Christopher, V. K. (2008). The effect of collective bargaining on the use of innovative police policy (2008). All Volumes (2001-2008).Paper 14. Retrieved from: http://digitalcommons.unf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=ojii_volumes Cordner, G. W. (2013). Police administration. (8th Ed.) Waltham, MA: Newnes. Gaines, L. and Worrall, J. (2011). Police administration. (3rd Ed.). New York: Cengage Learning. McGraw Hill Education (MMHE). (2013). Introduction to police administration. Retrieved from: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0073380008/893372/Chapter_1.pdf Ruiz, J. and Hummer, D. (2007). Handbook of police administration. Florida: CRC Press. Sirolli, C. J. (n.d). Bargaining Units Vs. Management: Are Police Unions Necessary? Retrieved from: http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Content/getdoc/2059f45f-5985-45b6-bb25-3ed1d2fb026c/sirolli-carmen-final-paper-(1).aspx Stering, R. (2007). Police officers handbook: An analytical and administrative guide. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Wilson, S., Zhao, J., Ren, L. and Briggs, S. (2006). The influence of collective bargaining on large police agency salaries: 1990–2000. American Journal of Criminal Justice,31(1): 19-34. Wuestewald, T. (2006). Shared Leadership: Can Empowerment Work in Police Organizations? The Police Chief, 73(1) Read More