Bullying Accusations Arise As Manchester Police Seek Collective Bargaining Representation

UPDATED: 9:50 a.m., Tues., April 16:

Some members of the Manchester Police Department have expressed a desire for collective bargaining representation, so aldermen enacted emergency legislation Monday night to retain a labor law attorney to represent the City of Manchester.

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Robert Stewart, an attorney with Ogletree Deakins, will represent the city during this process.

"We support all city employees and we just want to make sure everything's done right," Manchester City Administrator Andrew Hixson tells Patch. "He's dealt with unions before. We want to make sure everything is done on the up and up."

The board of aldermen's action is in response to a request by the Eastern Missouri Coalition of Police, Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 15, to represent Manchester police in regard to collective bargaining.

Greg Kloeppel, the attorney with Eastern Missouri Coalition of Police, Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 15 (FOP), tells Patch he sent a number of letters to the City of the Manchester regarding the organization's request. Those letters are included in the PDF portion of this article.

"Last month, the Manchester police approached us and requested our assistance in collective bargaining," Kloeppel said. According to him, officers said grievances were filed with regard to the working conditions within the department and they were essentially ignored. "The majority want us as their exclusive bargaining representative for collective bargaining purposes."

Although FOP is not technically a union, it is an association that represents police officers in the St. Louis area. 

FOP is seeking recognition by the City of Manchester as having legal standing to meet and confer with the city on behalf of Manchester police officers, Kloeppel said.

"In Missouri, police officers have the constitutional right to collectively bargain with their employers through representation of their own choosing," Kloeppel tells Patch. "All public employees have the right to collectively bargain."

Currently, many Manchester officers are already members of the FOP, however, the police department as a whole does not have an exclusive bargaining representative.

Kloeppel tells Patch he does not think the city and some police department staff support the officers desire to obtain such representation. 

According to Kloeppel, some members of the police department signed union representation interest cards, which are cards supporting the designation of FOP as the exclusive bargaining representative for collective bargaining purposes. Kloeppel alleges that officers were then called in by higher-ranking police department staff and told that if they signed the cards they were being asked to sign a form stating they rescind that decision.

"That is an intimidation factor that is illegal under a federal labor law," Kloeppel said.

Prior to the board of aldermen's vote to obtain the attorney, David Owens, local president with the (FOP) addressed aldermen.

Owens read a statement from Manchester resident and FOP State President Kevin Ahlbrand which can be read in its entirety in the PDF portion of this article. Following is a portion of the statement.

"As the president of the Missouri Fraternal Order of Police, I am incensed as to the conduct the Manchester Police Department command staff has shown to members of the department relative to their desire to choose the FOP as their bargaining agent. More importantly, as a resident of Manchester, I am embarrassed that my elected officials would condone such treatment to their employees." 

"If the police department/city continues to bully our employees, we will most certainly seek legal remedy. Likewise as a resident, I and my neighborhood will be asking extremely tough questions as to why our money is being spent to attempt to justify unjust actions."

Although Manchester Police Chief Tim Walsh refused to comment on the matter Monday night, Mayor David Willson denies the allegations of bullying.

"No one's threatened the police department," Willson said

Willson and other city staff also said the city's hiring of a specialized labor attorney is part of a process like this and not an effort to stop the process.

"Neither Andy (Hixson), or myself or any of the board of aldermen has any objection for them to be represented by FOP. It's federal law that they can have collective bargaining," Willson tells Patch. "He's a labor relations attorney and that's what you need, but no one's squashing anything."

Alderman Paul Hamill, who sponsored the bill to retain the attorney, said the city retained the outside counsel in an effort to make sure that the organizing process is done correctly if it moves forward. Hamill also said the city wants to ensure the majority of the officers do, in fact, support having the FOP as their bargaining unit.

"The FOP gave us until April fifteenth to reply. So we're replying by having an ordinance that's going to have a labor relations attorney and then let them talk," Willson explained.

Willson also tells Patch that the city values its local police department and has no plans to eliminate it and rely on St. Louis County police if officers move forward with collective bargaining representation.

"I can tell you we don't want the county," Willson tells Patch.