It has been a long wait. It has been painful every time Abramson illegally took $160.00 out of my paycheck. Like many of my brothers and sisters though, we stuck it out.
Today the FOP received the Official word from the Ky Department of Labor. To put it succinctly; ?we were right and Abramson was wrong.? I will include excerpts of the legal findings in this article, but it is important for everyone to know that we won!
This fiasco started long ago with them first trying to take money away from us for a usage fee, whether you used your car of duty or not. The cost was $30 a pay almost two years ago during the middle of contract negotiations.
The Lodge vehemently argued that these practices were unfair. At the bargaining table the city threw in some extra money for equipment allowance which is set to start this July to offset the fee.
Last year's spike in gas prices sent the fee even higher. Amid all the shady business deals that Abramson has been working for years he all of a sudden announced that the city was broke and all Metro Employees were going to have to help bail him out.
Unfortunately for some of my Metro Co-Workers they had to take furlough days and forgo raises but our contract prohibited that.
The process was long and involved but as I have been telling everyone for the entire time, we should prevail in this. We have a contract and Abramson violated it by imposing fees outside the contract, plain and simple. It was akin to the 2003 attempt to make Officers pay for their guns.
I will be briefer than usual so that I can include part of President McGuire's letter explaining the legal ramifications.
Excerpts from President McGuire's e-mail:
1) The Louisville/Metro Government shall immediately cease and desist from refusing to bargain collectively in good faith with the FOP Lodge # 614 regarding the personal usage fee and the fee for use of a departmental vehicle for secondary employment. The reimbursement of the vehicle use fees shall be a subject of negotiation.
2) The Louisville/Metro Government shall immediately cease and desist collecting the personal usage fee and the fee for the use of a departmental vehicle for secondary employment.
3) The LMPD shall permit employees who opted out of the take-home program in order to avoid paying the fees to resume participation in the take-home program.
Read Full Labor Cabinet Ruling
There are additional steps to be taken and the final ruling will come from the Secretary of Labor. I have asked Dennis Janes, the Lodge Attorney who handled this case, to summarize the findings and to explain what will occur from this point forward. The actions mentioned above may not take place immediately and this summary will explain everything that is to come. I will send that when I receive it.
I know this has been a long and frustrating experience for each and everyone of you. There are many reasons for taking this route, one of which was to assert our rights as provided by law. This is the first time the FOP has ever taken a stance like this and fought in this manner. Our hope is that this finding is the first step in developing a true open line of communication and bargaining with the City when it comes to our rights and any future changes to wages, hours and working conditions. Wishful thinking I know, but one can hope.