In 2021, the Detroit Police Lieutenants & Sergeants Association filed four separate grievances on behalf of Sherell Stanley against the Detroit Police Department. One, Grievance 21-014, sought six hours of overtime pay she claimed she was owed. Two others, Grievance 21-006 for a back injury and Gri
In June 2022, Mary White, a deputy correctional officer with the Will County Sheriff’s Department in Illinois, was terminated. The termination came just two months after she had completed workers’ compensation paperwork, which she had filed due to complications stemming from a December 2020 COVID-1
A Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board hearing examiner issued two companion decisions on August 21, 2025, together finding that the Jenkintown Borough, Pennsylvania, Police Department and Police Chief Thomas Scott committed multiple unfair labor practices under the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Act
Karyn Stanley joined the Sanford, Florida, Fire Department in 1999 and served for nearly two decades. In 2016 she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease but continued working for two more years until the progression of her condition forced her to retire on disability in 2018. At the time she was hi
The Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) rejected an unfair labor practice charge filed by the Michigan Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council, challenging the County’s decision to strictly enforce a contractual 320-hour vacation cap after years of allowing employees to exceed it. The U
Jack Soberick began serving in the Lansford Borough Police Department in Pennsylvania in 1996, became Chief of Police in 2016, and retired in 2022. As Chief of Police, his individual employment contract contained three key provisions. The first was a “me-too” clause guaranteeing him any economic o
The Pennsylvania State Police terminated Trooper Andrew Zaborowski on May 10, 2024. At the time of his discharge, Zaborowski had not yet completed his 18-month probationary period. The Pennsylvania State Troopers Association (PSTA) grieved the termination anyway, contending that regardless of his
Ferdinand Fernandez, president of Policemen’s Benevolent Association Local 286, was terminated from his position as a Passaic County, New Jersey, Sheriff’s Officer on or about May 23, 2025. The termination followed his suspension for “a Disorderly Persons Offense” arising from a 2023 motor vehicle
Rayiana McMiller-Copeland was hired by the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility in Michigan in June 2024, starting as a probationary employee. Her employment was abruptly terminated on June 27, 2024, following a significant security incident at the facility. The incident in question involved f
For more than a decade, firefighters in the Compton Fire Department in California had routinely been permitted to engage in morning fitness workouts at their stations, subject to supervisory approval. The practice was well established and viewed as integral to maintaining the mandatory fitness leve
Courts have long recognized that applying the First Amendment’s free speech protection to the public employment context requires a balancing act. The Supreme Court’s 1968 decision in Pickering v. Board of Education established the now-familiar framework to determine whether a public employer violate
In August 2023, the Village of Westchester, Illinois, retained Pontifex Consulting Group to conduct a pay study. Pontifex conducted market survey of wage rates in comparable municipalities to provide recommendations for compensation adjustments. The Metropolitan Alliance of Police, Westchester Pat
Doug Donovan, a former firefighter for the City of Henderson, Nevada, injured his back on duty and filed a workers’ compensation claim, which the City accepted. In 2021, after treatment, he was evaluated and assigned a ten percent permanent partial disability rating. Donovan chose to receive his di
Until January 23, 2023, Christopher Lutz was a member of the Moraine Professional Firefighters, IAFF Local 2981.The allocation of overtime shifts for members of the Local was governed by a detailed system outlined in the CBA. The Local maintained an “Overtime Equalization Chart” for lieutenants, wh
In December 2022, the City of Detroit notified the Detroit Police Officers Association (DPOA) that it would begin considering the disciplinary records of union members when determining their eligibility to take the 2023 promotional examinations for the ranks of sergeant and detective. The City issu
Timothy Upchurch, a longtime correctional officer at Indiana’s Correctional Industrial Facility, alleged that he was subjected to race discrimination and retaliation after a series of disciplinary actions and missed promotions. Upchurch, who is Black, had worked for the Indiana Department of Corre
In March 2024, Sergeant Jonathan Hagenmayer, president of the Deputy Sheriffs Benevolent Association of Onondaga County (DSBA) in New York, issued a press release and Facebook post after a deputy was injured in the county jail. The release described the dangers of correctional work and the risks po
The New Hampshire Troopers Association alleged that the State violated the CBA by denying Sergeant Nathan Johnston two specific benefits during his leave: a 2% across-the-board wage increase that took effect in July 2024, and holiday pay accrual. The Association argued this constituted an unfair la
The Florida Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) General Counsel dismissed an amended unfair labor practice charge filed by William Escobar, a former City of Orlando police officer, who was demoted in 2022 after being placed on a Brady list. Escobar alleged that the City violated his rights
In Washington, eight firefighters with Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue (SRFR) sought religious exemptions from Washington State’s 2021 COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. SRFR denied their requests, concluding it could not safely or feasibly accommodate unvaccinated firefighters in
The County of Gloucester, New Jersey, announced unilateral shift changes for Public Safety Telecommunicators (PSTs) in its Police and Fire/EMS Communications divisions, effective February 23, 2025. The changes would involuntarily transfer 25 PSTs from night shifts to day shifts or vice versa, disr
Kayla Loyd, a patrol officer with the Ruston Police Department in Ruston, Louisiana, alleged that the Police Chief denied her requests to transfer into the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) because of her gender, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. At trial, a jury returned a verd
On April 19, 2021, the Fraternal Order of Police, Fort Pitt Lodge No. 1, filed a grievance alleging that the City of Pittsburgh had violated the CBA by unilaterally terminating health care benefits for the surviving spouses of retired police officers. This grievance proceeded to arbitration before A
On April 24, 2018, off-duty Dallas Police Officer Chad Seward, working as a security guard for Home Depot, responded to a report from Home Depot about suspicious behavior. A store employee, Scott Painter, observed Armando Juarez concealing items in a bucket and hiding in the store, leading Seward to