David Foriska is a correctional officer working at Allegheny County Jail in Pennsylvania. Foriska was terminated for alleged misconduct, and reinstated on September 16, 2018, pursuant to an arbitrator’s order. The award also provided that Foriska “shall be made whole for any and all losses, includin
John Catanzara served as a police officer with the Chicago Police Department from January 1995 until his resignation on November 16, 2021. Prior to his election as president of Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #7 in May 2020, Catanzara had been investigated by the Civilian Office of Police Accountab
In December 2022, firefighters for the City of Biloxi, Mississippi sued the City for withheld longevity payments in violation of the FLSA. In May 2023, the parties reached a tentative settlement agreement that the City would reinstate longevity payments to all City firefighters beginning on October
The Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (PBA) is the exclusive bargaining representative for captains and sergeants in the City of Parma Heights, Ohio. The City’s patrol officers are in a separate bargaining unit and represented by a different union. The PBA and the City bargained a contract spa
Zachary Leonard was hired as a police officer in Burkburnett, Texas in 2005. He was a founding member of the Burkburnett Police Association and served multiple terms as an executive board member. In 2018, the Association identified morale issues and problems of leadership in the police department. L
On October 20, 2021, the New York City Commissioner of Health ordered all New York City employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Pursuant to the commissioner’s order, all non-exempt employees were required to provide proof of vaccination by October 29. John J. Hodgens, the Chief of Operations of
Michael Pinkerton was hired as a police officer by the city of Oak Park, Michigan in 1996, and was represented by the Oak Park Public Safety Officers Association.In December of 1997, Pinkerton resigned from his employment with the City and worked at a mortgage banking firm. After a short time, howev
In June 2019, 54 current and former firefighters employed by the City of Morgantown, West Virginia sued the City regarding their compensation for legal holidays under § 10a of West Virginia Code. The Legislature adopted § 10a to provide firefighters with “enhanced benefits.” It provides that if a fi
Manuel Adams had an 18-year career with the Hanrahan Police Department (HPD) in Hanrahan, Louisiana, eventually reaching the rank of captain. He had an unblemished disciplinary record during his tenure with HPD. But that changed in October 2019, when HPD Chief of Police Robert Walker determined that
On September 1, 2021, Geoffrey Stone, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, Local 319, sent a request for information to Patrick Hopkins, a business administrator for the City of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. On behalf of the Union, which represented the City’s 74 fire bureau emplo
IAFF Local 1148 represents firefighters in the City of Meriden, Connecticut. The parties were bound by a CBA spanning July 1, 2011, to June 30, 2015. The parties exercised a wage reopener provision in the final year of the contract. Those wage negotiations reached impasse, and interest arbitration h
James Taylor and Sheldon Scott were police officers in South Bend, Indiana. Taylor began in 1993 and was promoted to detective in 2005. He received numerous disciplinary actions, warnings, and reprimands throughout his career for an assortment of issues – mostly report writing. Scott began working a
Justin Kerschner began working as a Corrections Officer in 2012, most recently at the State Correctional Institution at Frackville, Pennsylvania (SCI-Frackville). Kerschner was a member of the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association (PSCOA), which maintained a collective bargaining agree
The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA) is a federal statute which sets forth requirements for qualified retired law enforcement officers to concealed-carry firearms throughout the United States. LEOSA specifically provides that “notwithstanding any other provision of the law of any State or
Ryan Chapman is a Deputy in the Caddo Parish, Louisiana Sheriff’s Office (CPSO). In March 2021, CPSO received a tip about the whereabouts of Chad Deloach, a wanted felon with an active arrest warrant. Chapman and two other deputies arrived at the location where Deloach was said to be hiding and saw
Stanley Mason worked as a police officer with the City of Waco, Texas Police Department for about 25 years until his resignation in 2019. Beginning in 2016, he hosted a Facebook Live broadcast, and later a radio blog, called “Behind the Blue Curtain,” covering topics related to policing. In June 201
Brandon Lauck is a firefighter for the City of Columbus, Ohio Fire Department. In 2021, Lauck took an examination for a lieutenant promotion. The CBA between the City and Lauck’s union, IAFF Local 67, implemented a “rule of three,” by which all promotions must be filled by one of the three highest-r
Robert Hendricks is the local vice president of the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association (PSCOA) at Progress Community Corrections Center (PCCC). In February 2021, Lieutenant Allen Lynch summoned Corrections Monitor Jason Henry to an investigative interview regarding allegations of ra
Kenneth Hagel was a police officer in the Borough of Sea Girt, New Jersey Police Department. He began working full-time at the Department in 1993, while also working as a Navy reservist. Hagel was required to attend training in his capacity as a reservist, and the Department covered his absences wit
Piscataway Township and the Policemen’s Benevolent Association Local 93 are parties to a CBA covering the employment of Township police officers. The CBA includes the following policy regarding usage of personal days: “Each Employee shall be allowed four personal days in each calendar year of this A
The Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C. and the Fraternal Order of Police negotiated a contract spanning October 1, 2020, through September 30, 2023. That contract included (1) new disciplinary policies; (2) annual wage increases; (3) base retention differentials, which functioned muc
From Washington:Question: To what extent does “other duties as assigned” allow an employer to go? Is this all encompassing or what are the limitations? We hear this question a lot from our guild members and other officers from other agencies. Administration seems to think its a broad stroke and they
Berks County in Pennsylvania and Teamsters Local 429 were parties to a collective bargaining agreement, which covers Berks County Jail correctional officers and maintenance employees and expired on December 31, 2019. When negotiations over a successor agreement failed, the parties proceeded to bindi
Alex Geiger began working as a police officer in Exeter, California in 2014. In 2015, he began working as a canine handler under the supervision of Sergeant Brett Inglehart. The City purchased a Belgian Malinois named Neo, and provided Geiger with a kennel, a food dish, a special patrol car, and oth