A unionization effort initiated by Bradenton Beach police officers will proceed while commissioners seek a proposal for citywide law enforcement from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
During a special meeting on April 23, city commissioners agreed not to challenge a proposed bargaining unit for police officers and a sergeant filed with the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission, the state agency overseeing public employee unionization. City clerk Terri Sanclemente said the first correspondence was received on April 16 from the International Union of Police Associations.
A bargaining unit is the group of employees eligible to vote on union representation.
Special counsel Robert Eschenfelder of Trask Daigneault LLP said the issue before the commission that day was whether the proposed bargaining unit was appropriate, not whether a union had been formed. If the bargaining unit is approved by the state, eligible employees would vote by secret ballot on whether to form a union.
Commissioners then shifted to discussing the financial feasibility of contracting with the sheriff’s office for law enforcement services.
Eschenfelder said the MCSO had indicated it could provide service for about $1.5 million annually, based on eight deputies and one sergeant.
“So, when you look at your current budget of $2,128,000 for municipal policing, that’s savings to the city of $628,000 a year,” he said.
Commissioners and staff also discussed challenges with a city-run police department, including the retention of officers, as some have left for higher-paying positions in Holmes Beach and Longboat Key.
“We hire somebody on, we train them, and they go somewhere where their budget’s bigger,” said Police Chief John Cosby, who also serves as the city’s public works director and emergency management officer.
Officials said the disparity is tied in part to differences in revenues, with Bradenton Beach’s smaller property tax base limiting its ability to match other cities’ salaries.
Figures cited during the meeting showed Bradenton Beach’s taxable value at about $923 million, compared with $3.2 billion in Holmes Beach.
Commissioners said any proposal from the MCSO must provide a clear “apples to apples” comparison of services, noting the city’s police department’s responsibilities include derelict vessel enforcement, law enforcement in the community redevelopment agency district, disaster response and special event coverage.
Commissioner Ralph Cole said he values a city-run police force.
“Policing is the most important thing, in my opinion. That makes this place so desirable to come to, and is part of the character of our island,” he said.
However, Cole also said the commission has a responsibility to taxpayers.
“I think we need to look at every avenue we can, especially nowadays, with what it costs in tax dollars, for taxpayers to have a good service,” he said.
The commission unanimously approved a motion directing staff to discuss the issue with the MCSO and request a formal proposal.
Following the meeting, Mayor John Chappie said the commission was focused on gathering information.
“The commission has made a decision to continue negotiations with the sheriff’s department to get actual numbers so that we can compare apples with apples,” Chappie said. “We will have the information that we need for a well-informed decision.”
Unionizing campaign
Meanwhile, the unionizing effort proceeds amid a warning from the International Union of Police Associations.
In an April 21 letter, IUPA attorney Bradley P. Rothman demanded the city “cease and desist from any threats, coercion, intimidation, interference, discrimination, retaliation, or reprisals” related to union activity.
The letter said that if the city is “invoking the specter of outsourcing, dissolution, transfer of bargaining unit work, or elimination of the department in response to union activity,” it could suggest a retaliatory motive.
The letter, provided to The Islander by IUPA representative William Bjork, cited alleged statements by Lt. Lenard Diaz during a March 12 police department meeting in which officers claimed he warned against unionization.
According to the letter, Diaz said, “I dare you to pursue a union and you will feel our wrath.” Adding “the city won’t go for it.”
The union’s attorney argued Diaz’s remarks constitute a threat of retaliation. Public employees have a protected right to organize without interference.
Bjork did not comment during the meeting.
Following the meeting, he told The Islander the unionization effort is being driven by officers seeking workplace protections through a negotiated contract.
“They’re just trying to get themselves into a position where they have a contract that provides them certain protections,” Bjork said. “We’re just their voice. We go in there and tell them what the officers want.”
He continued, “I know what it’s like to have a better relationship with my police department, because I know who the cops are. We would not want to see that disappear.”
Bjork encouraged the city to fully evaluate its options.
On AMI, Holmes Beach runs a municipal police department while the MCSO serves as the law enforcement agency for Anna Maria.